


Book Cult

by JustAFellowUser



Series: The Books on Olympus [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: BoO Spoilers, Book 1: The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Drama, Family Feels, Friendship, Gen, HoH spoilers, Hurt/Comfort, Lost Hero, MoA spoilers, Reading the Books, The Blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus) Spoilers, The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus) Spoilers, The Mark of Athena (Heroes of Olympus) Spoilers, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-17
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-04-23 23:50:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 59
Words: 231,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14343558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAFellowUser/pseuds/JustAFellowUser
Summary: It's official. Leo Valdez has worse luck than any of the other six. Yes, he even had worse luck than Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, who fell into Tartarus. At least they had each other. Meanwhile, Leo finds himself in a different kind of Tartarus. In Olympus, with his family, who are more than happy to read three books all about his thoughts.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is not a full story of the Lost Hero, this fanfiction may be a Reading the Book fanfic but it focuses largely on the comments and will have little text from the actual book the characters are commenting on. However there will be enough text for you to understand what the characters are commenting about. The dots before the paragraphs indicate that parts of the story have been skipped.
> 
> This was originally posted by me on Fanfiction, but later got deleted. Although the original is posted on Wattpad, I was inspired by TitansRule's Fates Intervention to post the story here. If you hadn't seen their's, check it out! I think that the series is really good.
> 
> P.S. Leo's from the timeline inbetween HoH and BoO.

All the gods (except for Poseidon, Hestia, and Aphrodite) stared at the new Savior of Olympus in stunned silence.

Poseidon looked like he couldn't choose between proudly beaming and force himself to be happy with his son's decision, or deeply upset with the missed opportunity to make up for not being apart of most of Percy's life. So he settled with looking like a gaping fish.

Aphrodite was doing a happy dance in her throne. She had been crossing her slender fingers as tight as she could, hoping the Fates would not have Percy become a god. And, thank goodness, he refused! The goddess of love couldn't have felt more relieved, it would have difficult for her to convince the other gods to have Annabeth become immortal as well.

 _But who cares?!_  the goddess of love thought with glee, resisting the urge to throw her arms around Ares' thick neck.

_Percabeth LIVES!_

Aphrodite couldn't restrain the small giggle that escaped her lips.

Meanwhile, the quiet goddess by her ever burning hearth also tried and failed to hide a knowing smile. She had known the moment her younger brother suggested immortality, Percy Jackson would refuse. Although she had known him for only a short amount of time, she felt she knew him well enough to know he was too loyal to his friends and family to abandon them for a better life as a immortal.

 _He is definitely unlike the other heroes before him._  Hestia thought, as she patiently waited for her family's response, perfectly content with once again being a wallflower.

"No?" Zeus said. "You are... turning  _down_  our generous gift?"

There was a dangerous edge to his voice, like a thunderstorm about to erupt.

"I'm honored and everything," Percy said meekly. "Don't get me wrong. It's just... I've got a lot of life left to live. I'd hate to peak in my sophomore year."

Ares inwardly deflated at the loss of his future immortal punching bag.

"I do want a gift, though," Percy said. "Do you promise to grant my wish?"

Zeus thought about this.

"If this is within our power." he cautiously replied, not sure where the son of the sea god was going with this.

"It is," Percy assured. "And it's not even difficult. But I need your promise on the River of Styx."

"What?" Dionysus cried, tearing his eyes away from his wine magazine. "You don't trust us?"

"Someone once told me," Percy said, staring directly at Hades. "you should always get a solemn oath."

Hades shrugged. "Guilty."

Quickly sending Hades a particularly nasty glare (who, in response, smirked), Zeus growled.

"Very well! In the name of the Council, we swear by the River of Styx to grant your  _reasonable_  request as long as it is within our power."

Zeus didn't bother telling the naive Percy Jackson that his request had to be reasonable to _his_  standards.

The other gods, knowing there was a loophole in that promise somewhere, muttered assent. Thunder boomed, shaking the throne room. The deal was made.

"From now on, I want you to properly recognize the children of the gods," Percy said. "All the children... of  _all_ the gods."

Zeus' Master Bolt almost fell out of his almighty fist in shock.

"Percy," Poseidon said slowly as if his son had asked why were globes round if the earth was flat. "what exactly do you mean?"

"Kronos couldn't have risen if it hadn't been for a lot of demigods who felt abandoned by their parents, " Percy clarified.

"They felt angry, resentful, and unloved, and they had a good reason."

Zeus' royal nostrils flared. "You dare accuse-"

"No more undetermined children," Percy interrupted, aggravating the king of gods even more.

Zeus gritted his teeth, resisting the tempting urge to zap Percy Jackson back into place. Literally.

_He saved Olympus. He saved Olympus. He saved Olympus._

"I want you to promise to claim your children- all your demigod children- by the time they turn thirteen. They won't be left out in the world on their own at the mercy of monsters. I want them claimed and brought to camp so they can be trained right, and survive."

"Now, wait just a moment," Apollo began, only to be ignored.

"And the minor gods," Percy added. "Nemesis, Hecate, Morpheus, Janus,"

Nobody noticed the sudden tension between the gods at the mention of the idiotic  **Roman**  god.

"Hebe- they all deserve a general amnesty and a place at Camp Half-Blood."

 _Everyone, except Janus' children._ Zeus thought, mentally marking that down as a unreasonable request.

"Their children should not be ignored. Calypso and the other peaceful Titan-kind should be pardoned too."

 _They are peaceful for now, but will become backstabbers later, just like the rest of their kind._ _ **Another**_ _unreasonable request._ Zeus thought.

"And Hades-"

"Are you calling me a  _minor_   _god_?" Hades bellowed. If looks could kill, the Savior of Olympus would've been on a one way trip to the Underworld in a split second.

"No, my lord." replied a surprisingly polite Percy, obviously not wanting to return back to Hades' dungeons. "But your children should not be left out. They should have a cabin at camp. Nico has proven that."

Nico slightly blushed at his words.

"No unclaimed demigods will be crammed into the Hermes cabin anymore, wondering who their parents are."

Chris Rodriguez, sitting next to his girlfriend, nodded his head slowly in agreement.

"That would be nice..." murmured a groggy Clovis, wiping the sleep out of his heavy lidded eyes. It was always difficult to find a decent place to sleep in the Hermes cabin.

"Too much pranksss..." he added, struggling not to doze off again. He nearly lost his head in the war because of that.

"They'll have their own cabins, for all gods. And no more pack of the Big Three. That didn't work anyway."

"You can say that again. " Hera huffed, glaring at Thalia. Said huntress glared back.

"You've got to stop trying to get rid of powerful demigods. We're going to train them and accept them instead. All children of the gods will be welcome and treated with respect."

 _Only if they are Greek._ Zeus added silently.

"That is my wish."

Zeus snorted. "Is that all?"

It was a simple task, now that he narrowed it down to reasonable standards. All he had to do was claim all his Greek children (which, considering he only had one, was already done) and allow minor Greek gods to have their own cabins for their children at Camp Half-Blood. It was too easy! Why Percy Jackson made such a huge 'I Have A Dream' speech was beyond him.

"Percy, you ask much. You presume much." Poseidon warned.

"I hold you to your oath," Percy said. "All of you."

The gods gave him steely looks.

Much to Percy's surprise, it was Athena who spoke up next.

"The boy is correct. We have been unwise to ignore our children. It proved a strategic weakness in this war and almost caused our destruction. Percy Jackson, I have had my doubts about you, but perhaps-" she glanced at Annabeth, and spoke the last words as if it hurt more than bathing in the River of Styx. "perhaps I was mistaken. I move we accept the boy's plan."

"Humph," Zeus said. " being told what to do by a mere child. But I suppose..."

"All in favor," Hermes said.

All gods raised their hands.

"Um, thanks." Percy said sheepishly.

Percy turned, only to back away in surprise at the sudden bright light in front of him.

Roaring thunder boomed overhead with enough force to shake the gargantuous room.

Everyone immediately turned to Zeus, thinking he had something to do with it, but he looked as clueless as they were.

"Draw your weapons!" Zeus ordered when the light grew brighter. "This may be another attack from the Titans!"

Not needed to be told twice, it only took seconds for the once celebrating group to draw their choice of weapon.

When the light sluggishly faded, in it's wake stood a confused looking Latino elf-like boy.

"This could be a trick." Athena warned, but Hephaestus paid her no attention. Lowering his sword, the god of fire muttered softly in disbelief.

"Leo?"

As if hearing his name, the elf-like boy snapped out of his daze.

"Holy Hephaestus!" the boy covered in motor oil exclaimed. More out of instinct, he quickly reached in his tool belt and pulled out a tin box of breath mints.


	2. Jason I

Despite being on a quest to save the world from the personification of itself, Leo Valdez was actually having a great day.

Leo knew it was only a matter of time before Murphy's law decided to rear its ugly head, but  decided not to worry too much about the catastrophe waiting to happen and focus on his first conservation with Hazel.

Well, it definitely wasn't the first conservation they had, but it was the first one that lacked the usual awkwardness between them.

"There are really people who read those and like it?" Hazel asked, breaking his train of thought.

"Yeah, some of the books even became movies." Leo evenly replied, struggling to hold back his laughter.

"But..." Hazel paused, not knowing where to begin. "It's a horrible horror book. I don't even think there is a single scary moment in the series."

"It's not a horror. " Leo corrected, not bothering to hide his smile this time. "It's a romance."

Now Hazel was dumbfounded. Leo let her recollect her thoughts as he continued silently stirring the ship.

"But... He's a monster."

"Uh-huh."

"A vampire who drinks blood..."

"Yup."

"Um...does he drink her blood by the end of the series? "

"He refuses to because he loves her."

Hazel threw her hands in her face, obviously regretting agreeing to let Leo update her on what's the latest of the new century.

"But... He's a monster."

"Yeah, we already went over that." Leo said with a laugh. "He also sparkles in the daytime."

Hazel looked like a lost small child in the mall.

"Wha... Tha...N-None of that makes any sense!"

"Welcome to 2014." Leo said with a over exaggerated bow.

"This century is  _so_  weird." Hazel concluded, grabbing a fist full of her hair.

"I agree." said a familiar voice behind them.

Hazel and Leo turned, surprised to see Nemesis sitting on the edge of the boat.

Tossing a empty fortune cookie shell overboard, the goddess of revenge read the fortune out loud.

"About time I got out of that cookie." Nemesis gritted her teeth. Tearing the tiny paper into shreds, she tossed those overboard too.

"That's not even a fortune!" Nemesis growled, grabbing another cookie from the basket.

"Nemesis? What are you doing here?" Hazel asked.

"It has nothing to do with you, Hazel Levesque." Nemesis assured. "However, you, Leo Valdez, are a different story."

 _It was nice while it lasted._ Leo thought with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"It's time you paid the price, Leo Valdez."

Leo kissed goodbye the closest thing to normalcy he ever had, and began deciding what color did he want his eye patch to be.

Hazel's own eyes widened at Nemesis' statement.

"You opened the fortune cookie." Hazel said, as if Leo had forgotten.

"Yeah, I did, but I thought the price was paid after Percy and Annabeth fell in Tartarus."

Nemesis stared at him as if he just coughed up a hairball.

"Why the Hades would I want that to happen?" the goddess bluntly asked. "I want you to defeat the giants."

"Although that little fall in Tartarus did manage to balance the scales a little and I can't say I didn't enjoy their little encounter with the ari. In my opinion, nobody deserved it more than Nobody herself." Nemesis cackled, meanwhile Leo and Hazel exchanged confused looks.

"But I digress," Nemesis continued. "The incident that had nothing to do with the breaking of the fortune cookie."

Leo's shoulders slumped in relief, knowing that he had nothing to do with Annabeth and Percy's fall into Tartarus or, as Leo was beginning to call it, Hell's personal hell, felt like a weight was lifted off him. However, that relief soon turned into fear of what was about to happen to him.

" _Ooookkaay_..." Leo said slowly, rocking on the back of his heels. "So, what exactly is my punishment? Am I grounded for two weeks?"

"Something like that." Nemesis cryptically said, throwing Leo off guard.

Suddenly everything around Leo and the goddess began to slow down.

The Argo II slowly came to a stop. The birds flying over them hung suspended in the air. The gentle breeze carding though Leo's hair disappeared as if it was never there.

Even Hazel seemed to be frozen, she stood her ground as she stared transfixed at nothing. Her golden eyes never blinked, even when Leo waved his hand in front of her face.

"What did you do?" Leo asked Nemesis.

The goddess didn't reply.

When Leo turned to look at the goddess of revenge, he took a step back in surprise of her sudden change in appearance.

The Aunt Rosa look alike's eyes turned pure bright white, hands down a creepier look then her sneer.

"Leo Valdez, with my help you have saved Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang's life and now it is time you pay the price." the goddess' voice echoed in the seemly lifeless world.

The last thing Leo thought before being engulfed by the bright light was:

_At least now I won't get a chance to accidentally destroy the world._

The first thing Leo realized when the light was gone was that he wasn't dead, which showed his great day hadn't  _completely_  abandoned him after all.

The second thing Leo realized was that he was surrounded by gods and demigods with dangerous weapons.

Normally Leo wouldn't be the least bit squeamish about a weapon ( heck, his younger brother made weapons as a  ** _hobby_** ), but when they were all pointed at him, ready to slice him into Leo streamers, that's a different story all together.

"Holy Hephaestus!" Leo exclaimed, without thinking he reached into his tool belt and pulled out his trusty... box of breath mints.

 _Wonderful._  Leo thought sarcastically, while Travis and Connor Stoll were desperately struggling to contain their fits of laughter. They failed when Leo, with a sheepish grin, offered the box to the king of all gods.

"Breath mint?" he asked over the brothers' howls of laughter. He gave the box a tantalizing shake.

"WHO ARE YOU?" Zeus thundered causing the teen to nearly drop his 'weapon'. 

"Who am I?" Leo repeated, as he looked for a exit. "Why, I am the one, the only, fantastic, wonderful, amazing, astonishing, astounding..."

Leo continued talking. He inwardly winced at amount synonyms he could think of for 'fantastic'.

 _I have_ **got** _to stop hanging out with Annabeth._ Leo thought, his smile grew a little wider as he listed on a bunch of words.

"-incredible... Well to sum things up, I'm supercalifragilisticexpiali-"

Leo's mouth snapped shut and he loudly gulped as an arrow whizzed by inches away from his head.

_Um...Yeah...Maybe running away right now isn't a plan worthy of Athena after all._

"Get to the point." Artemis growled, sounding a lot like her father.

"Leo Valdez," Leo introduced with a shaky smile. "humble son of Hephaestus, ma'am."

"I thought your children were the quiet ones." Hermes, leaning over to the god of blacksmith, said with a smirk.

"They are." Hephaestus grunted. "Most of them, that is."

"Why are you here?" Artemis asked with no nonsense tone of voice.

"Yeah about that... you see... I don't-"

Leo was interrupted by three books and a letter appearing by his feet.

Picking up one of the books, he gasped softly in surprise.

One the cover of the book was his beloved robotic dragon, Festus. On the dragon's back was himself (why did he look like a imp?) and Piper, who was sneaking a glance at Jason sitting behind her.

 _The Lost Hero_ , the title read. Leo instantly looked up at Percy, who was watching him with distrusting eyes.

 _At least one thing's normal around here._  Leo thought dryly.

Apollo slowly approached the boy, before picking up and reading the message. 

"Dear Olympians and Demigods,

So sorry to interrupt your celebration, but I think my reason is good enough to be pardoned.

With the help of a acquaintance, I have sent Leo Valdez,"

Leo awkwardly waved his hand at everyone when his name was mentioned.

"and three books from the future. I have sent them as a warning for you to prepare, because the worse has yet to come.

~ Nemesis, goddess of revenge."

Leo frowned.

That did not sound like Nemesis at all.

Apparently, Athena agreed.

"Why would she, out of all the people, want to help us? Nemesis isn't known to help people out of the kindness of her heart."

"Maybe, the future is so bad, that even Nemesis thought it would be fair if we knew what happened ahead of time." Annabeth suggested.

Everyone looked expectantly at Leo.

Leo shrugged.

"Personally, I think we're doing okay. You know, for a bunch of teenagers that can't legally drive a car."

"Well, we'll just see about that." Apollo said cheerfully, taking the book from Leo's hands.

"Um... sure?" Leo said because honestly, that was all he  _could_ say at this point. He had no idea what was going on. One minute, Nemesis was about to damn him for all time, then the next he's having story time with the gods and Camp Half Blood members from the past.

 _Aren't I supposed to be dead now?_ With little choice, Leo awkwardly took a seat with his fellow demigods. 

He made a face when Clovis almost instantly rested his head on Leo's shoulder.  _I hope these books have pictures. At least then it'll end quicker._

Once everyone was seated, Apollo began to read.

**Jason I**

**Even before he got electrocuted, Jason was having a rotten day...** **holding hands with a girl he didn't know.**

"That doesn't bad at all." Travis said with a smirk. "I mean, sure not knowing where you are is bad, but holding hands with a girl makes it better."

"But only if the girl's cute." Connor added with a similar smirk.

Leo, pushing snoring Clovis off of him, snickered.

Katie punched Connor on his arm.

"Don't be so insensitive!"

 **The girl was cute** -

"See look? Even Jason doesn't have a problem with it." Travis said.

 **but he couldn't figure out who she was.** **... fifteen? Sixteen? Okay, that was scary. He didn't even know his own age.** "

"Poor dear," Demeter said sympathetically. "How terrible."

"I know," Percy frowned. "I can't imagine what would it be like for me to lose all my memories, including..An...My age."

Leo wasn't sure if he should laugh or wince at the irony.

 **The bus rumbled along a bumpy road. Out the windows, desert rolled by under a bright blue sky. Jason was pretty sure he didn't live in the desert....** **Her chocolate brown hair was cut choppy and uneven,**

Aphrodite furrowed her brow.

"Why on earth would she do that to her hair? If she couldn't do it herself, couldn't she go to a hair stylist?"

Artemis snorted.

"Maybe because, unlike you, she doesn't care about looking perfect."

Aphrodite dramatically gasped and batted her eyelashes at the goddess.

"You think I look perfect?" she said as innocently as she could.

"That's not what I meant and you know it." Artemis deadpanned.

**with thin strands braided down the sides... Her eyes seemed to change color like a kaleidoscope- brown, blue, and green.**

"Aww, too cute." Aphrodite gushed. "Jason doesn't even know the girl's name and he's already head over heels in love with her."

"What are you talking about?" Artemis said, holding her head in her hand. "All he did was describe how she looks. I mean, it's obvious he's attracted to her. But saying he loves her is extreme, especially since he doesn't even know her."

"First, I can't say I'm surprised you don't know a thing about love at first sight. Second, I'm the goddess of love. You know, that feeling you lack. So of course, I would know as a one hundred percent fact, Jason is in love with the girl."

Artemis and her hunters gritted their teeth.

"How dare you..."

Apollo quickly continued reading before the fight could escalate. 

**Jason let go of her hand. "Um, I don't-"**

**In the front of the bus, a teacher shouted, "All right, cupcakes, listen up!"** "

Leo jumped, startled when Grover Underwood moaned in the background.

"FOOOOOOOOOOD!"

The son of Hephaestus looked over at him in concern.  _Is he okay? Are we just going to continue reading and ignore this?_

He looked around to see the others reactions, but everyone else didn't seem too annoyed by the unconscious goat-boy.

 _I guess this is normal? Are all satyrs weird?_ Leo tapped his foot and did his best to ignore him.

**The guy was obviously a couch. His baseball cap was pulled low over his hair, so you could just see his beady eyes...A whistle hung from his neck and a megaphone was clipped to his belt.**

Leo smiled widely at the mention of Coach Hedge's precious megaphone.

" **He would've looked pretty scary if he hadn't been five feet zero.** "

Apollo chuckled at those words.

" **When he stood up in the aisle, one of the students called, "Stand up, Coach Hedge!"** "

Everyone laughed.

"Who said that?" Hermes said inbetween his laughter.

" **"I heard that!" the coach scanned the bus for the offender. Then his eyes fixed on Jason, and his scowl**   **deepened.** "

"Coach Hedge obviously knows Jason doesn't belong there." Annabeth stated, her mother nodded in agreement.

" **A jolt went down Jason's spine. He was sure the coach knew he didn't belong there...** **I will personally send you back to to campus the hard way."**

"The hard way?" Chris asked with uncertainty.

**He picked up a baseball bat and made like he was hitting a homer.**

"Great way to regulate the students." Dionysus muttered his approval, not looking away from his magazine. Bored out of his mind, Ares nodded in agreement.

"Did he ever really use that?" Annabeth asked Leo.

Leo, looking up from his latest project, smiled.

"A couple times." he admitted, remembering when Joshua Paterson got whacked by the angry goat, for throwing away a 'perfectly good' milk carton. Coach Hedge was sent to the principal's office, but came back with a raise from a confused principal. The next day, the principal also made a extreme rule about recycling.

"How did he become protector?" Percy asked.

**Jason looked at the girl next to him. "Can he talk to us that way?"**

Leo shrugged. "That's the school system for ya'."

 **She shrugged...** **turned and laughed. "Yeah, right, Jason. We've all been framed! I didn't run away six times. Piper didn't steal a BMW."** "

Hermes jaw went slack.

"That's amazing!" Connor stated in awe.

"That's been my life long dream!" Travis stated.

"That's a horrible dream." Katie said, giving him a glare.

"Piper is definitely our sister." Travis added, ignoring the daughter of Demeter.

Meanwhile Aphrodite grinned when she realized Piper was her daughter.

 _I have to do something about her hair._  she thought.

" **The girl blushed. "I didn't steal that car, Leo!"** "

"Poor girl, she's in denial." Connor said, shaking his head.

"Don't worry, she'll learn to embrace her kleptomania soon enough." Hermes assured his son.

**"Oh, I forgot, Piper. What was your story? You talked the dealer into lending it to you?" He raised his eyebrows at Jason like, _Can you believe her?_**

_Actually, I can._ Aphrodite thought, genuinely smiling. 

**Leo looked like a Latino Santa's elf,**

"I look like a WHAT?" Leo exclaimed, dropping his rubber band airplane on the ground.

"An elf!" Connor replied in between his laughter.

"I do **not**  look a elf!" Leo stated firmly, crossing his arms. "I'm  _way_ taller than an elf."

"You know, now that Jason mentioned it, I can kinda see it now." Travis teased.

"I do  ** _not_  **look like a elf!" the son of Hephaestus repeated. *

**with curly black hair, pointy ears, a cheerful, babyish face,**

"Now I have a baby face? Com'on, I'm clearly a man's man!" Leo huffed, before pulling more rubber bands out of his tool belt.

**and a mischievous smile that told you right away this guy should not be trusted around matches**

"Well at least he got one thing right." Leo murmured, still miffed about being called a baby faced Latino elf by his best friend.

" **or sharp objects...** **Either the kid was naturally hyper or he was hopped up on enough sugar and caffeine to give a heart attack to a water buffalo.** "

"He sounds a lot like one of your kids, Hermes." Apollo said.

Hermes nodded.

"Hard to believe he's a son of Hephaestus." Hades added.

 **"Anyway," Leo said, "I hope you've got your worksheet, 'cause I used mine for spit wads days**   **ago.** "

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Boys."

Athena gave him a disapproving look.

"I know it's hard but you really should put more effort into your schoolwork," Annabeth told him. "You still have a life outside of all this."

Briefly stopping his moving hands, Leo frowned at that.  _Do I really?_ For the months, he had focused all his time and energy into this quest and trying not to be a monster's next meal. At this point, school was the last thing he had on his mind.

" **Why are you looking at me like that? Somebody draw on my face again?"** "

Leo bounced his newly made rubber band ball and watched it leap across the room. He moved to go retrieve it, but the look on Zeus' face told him to stay put.

With a sigh, Leo stayed seated and drummed his fingers on his leg.

 **"I don't know you," Jason said....** **"Leo Valdez!"**

This immediately caught Leo's attention.

**Coach Hedge yelled from the front. "Problem back there?"**

Leo snickered, knowing what was going to happen next.

" **Leo winked at Jason. "Watch this." He turned to the front .**

 **"Sorry Coach! I was having trouble hearing you. Could you use your megaphone, please?"** "

Some people sent Leo a couple of questioning looks.

Percy looked at him as if he was crazy.

"I know what I'm doing." Leo said with a self-satisfied smirk.

**Coach Hedge grunted like he was pleased to have an excuse. He unclipped the megaphone...but his voice came out like Darth Vader's. The kids cracked up.**

So did everyone in the room.

"He's our new prank buddy." Travis whispered to his brother, who eagerly nodded in agreement. With Leo Valdez on their side, their possibilities were endless.

 **The coach tried again, but this time the megaphone blared: "The cow says moo!"** "

Hephaestus beamed proudly as the laughter grew louder.

 **....the coach slammed down the megaphone. "Valdez!"....** **Piper stifled a laugh. "My god,** "

"Gods." Apollo corrected.

" **Leo. How did you do that?"**

 **Leo slipped a tiny Phillips head screwdriver from his sleeve. "I'm a special boy."** "

"Yup he's your son. If it wasn't obvious before, it is now." Apollo said.

Smiling, Nico shook his head. "Only a child of Hephaestus would be carrying around a screwdriver."

" **"Guys seriously," Jason pleaded. "What am I doing here? Where are we going?"...**

**...."Aw, yeah, he's joking," Leo said. "He's trying to get me back for that shaving cream on the Jell-O thing aren't you?"**

"We are trying on Katie." Grinning Travis whispered to Connor. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face.

Rolling his eyes, Connor snorted. "Of course."

 **..."No, I think he's serious." Piper tried to take his hand again but he pulled it away.** "

Aphrodite frowned in disappointment at this.

**...Jason hadn't paid much attention to what he was wearing, but it wasn't nearly warm enough: jeans and sneakers, a purple T-shirt,**

The gods immediately stiffened at that.

Athena let out a low hiss.

 _It's just a coincidence._ Zeus thought nervously gesturing Apollo to continue reading, wanting to avoid any suspicion fro the demigods.

" **and a thin black windbreaker.**

 **"So, a crash course for the amnesiac," Leo said, in a helpful tone that made Jason think this was not going to be helpful.** "

"Did it ever occur to you that he could have been serious?" Thalia asked Leo, who popped a breath mint in his mouth.

The son of Hephaestus rolled his eyes. Of course the first time his old crush ever talks to him it only happens when it's about her brother and when he's already... attracted to (Leo refused to say 'loves'.) someone else.

"Not  _rrreeee-aaaalllly_." Leo said, fiddling with the buttons on his jacket. "I mean, I believe him later, but we always played jokes on each other before, so I didn't take him too seriously."

" **We go to the 'Wilderness School'"-Leo made air quotes with his fingers.....** **he belonged with them.**

**...Leo rolled his eyes. "You're really gonna play this out, huh? Okay, so the three of us started here together this semester. We're totally tight. You do everything I say and give me your dessert and do my chores-"**

"Seriously?" Thalia growled. With a mischievous smile, Leo shrugged.

"I didn't think he was serious." Leo reminded, pulling out paper clips from his tool belt.

Percy shook his head. "Not cool."

Apparently the Stolls thought it was because they were cracking up.

"It was just a joke." Travis defended.

"Yeah," Connor added. "I'm sure if he had known Jason was serious, I'm positive he wouldn't have said that. Right Leo?"

"Right." Leo replied, making a paper clip chain.

" **"Leo!" Piper snapped.** "

"At least there's  _someone_ there who is smart enough to realize he wasn't joking." Thalia muttered.

Artemis nodded. "Figures, it'd be a girl."

" **"Fine. Ignore that last part. But we _are_  friends.**

"With friends like  _that_  who needs enemies?" Thalia muttered.

Leo looked up from his chain, feeling hurt. But he forced himself to smile.

"True." he agreed with a hollow chuckle.

Connor, who knew his new friend had his feelings hurt, immediately came to his defense.

"Hey, what's your problem? Leo said he didn't know! Why are you so defensive of a guy you haven't met."

Thalia faltered, unsure why herself.

**Well, Piper's a little more than your friend, the last few weeks-"**

Aphrodite squealed.

_Jiper is alive! It's not as cute as Percabeth. But still cute all the same._

**"Leo, stop it!" Piper's face turned red.**

"Aaaaw." the goddess of love cooed.

**Jason could feel his face burning too.**

"Aaaawww." Aphrodite giggled. Artemis banged her head against the back of her throne.

 _Can she at least say something else? Or better yet, shut up._ Artemis sighed.

**He thought he'd remember if he'd been going out with a girl like Piper.**

"That is so adorable!" Aphrodite sighed. Turning to the hunters, Aphrodite said.

"You see what you are missing out on girls?"

Some of the hunters rolled their eyes, others gagged in disgust.

"Don't try to tempt my hunters." Artemis warned her.

" **"He's got amnesia or something," Piper said. "We've got to tell somebody."**

 **Leo scoffed "Who, Coach Hedge? He'd try to fix Jason by whacking him upside the head."** "

"He's not lying." Percy admitted, imagining how happy Coach Hedge would be to 'help'. 

Ares, picking his teeth with a dagger, shrugged. "It might work."

Athena snorted. "If he was a cartoon character, maybe."

 **The coach was at the front of the group, barking orders and blowing his whistle to keep the kids in line....** **The new guy wedged himself between Jason and Piper and knocked Leo down. "Don't talk to these bottom-feeders. You're my partner, remember?"**

Hestia raised a eyebrow.

"Bottom-feeders?" she repeated. She may not know what's 'groovy' now a days, but she was definite 'bottom-feeders' was not what the cool cats say anymore.

**The new guy had dark hair cut Superman style, a deep tan, and teeth so white they should've come with a warning label: DO NOT STARE DIRECTLY AT TEETH. PERMANENT BLINDNESS MAY OCCUR. He wore a Dallas Cowboys jersey, Western jeans and boots, and he smiled like he was God's gift to juvenile delinquent girls everywhere. Jason hated him instantly.**

Percy scowled. He's met enough guys like that at schools to know a massive jerk when he heard one. And this guy fit the description perfectly.

"Yeah," Leo agreed as he continued adding more paper clips to his chain. "Dylan was a creep."

**"Go away, Dylan," Piper grumbled. "I didn't ask to work with you."**

**"Ah, that's no way to be. This is your lucky day!" Dylan hooked his arm through hers and dragged her the museum entrance. Piper shot one look over her shoulder like, _911._**

Artemis looked sympathetically at the book.

**Leo got up and brushed himself off. "I hate that guy." He offered Jason his arm, like they should go skipping inside together. "I'm Dylan. I'm so cool, I want to date myself, but I can't figure out how! You want to date me instead? You're so lucky!"**

Everyone laughed.

**"Leo," Jason said. "You're weird."**

"In a awesome way!" Travis added.

"I try!" Leo grinned, tossing his paper clip chain over Clovis' shoulder as he continued to make it longer.

" **"Yeah, you tell me that a lot." Leo grinned....** **Jason figured that if this was his best friend, his life must be pretty messed up**

Leo briefly frowned.  _Can't argue there._

**....Coach Hedge to lecture to them with his megaphone, which alternately made him sound like Sith Lord or blared out random comments like "The pig says oink."**

Athena rolled her eyes. "Honestly, why would he continue using his megaphone?"

"Whatever the reason is, I'm glad he's doing it." Hermes chuckled.

**Leo kept pulling out nuts, bolts, and pipe cleaners from the pockets of his army jacket and putting them together, like he had to keep his hands busy at all times.**

A few demigods looked over to see Leo continue adding paper clips to his ever growing paper clip chain.

.... **Some girls kept looking over at Piper and Dylan and snickering. Jason figured these girls were the popular clique. They wore matching jeans and pink tops and enough makeup for a Halloween.**

"They need help." Aphrodite stated. "Quick. No guy would even look at them except for laughs if they continue looking like that."

**One of them said, "Hey, Piper, does your tribe run this place? Do you get in free if you do a rain dance?**

Aphrodite's eye twitched.

_Excuse me?_

**The other girls laughed. Even Piper's so-called partner Dylan suppressed a smile.**

_Yup. He's a jerk. Can Piper kick him in the shin now?_ Percy thought.

**Piper's snowboarding jacket sleeves hid her hands, but Jason got the feeling she was clenching her fists.**

Like her mother was doing.

**...Isabel widened her eyes in mock surprise, so that she looked an owl with a makeup addiction.**

Athena gnashed her teeth.

 _Of course a **Roman**  would dare insult a owl by comparing it to that...that... _ **_girl_ ** _. They never respect things I hold sacred._

**"Oh, sorry! Was your _mom_ in this tribe? Oh, that's right. You never knew your mom."**

_On second thought, I'm starting to think **bears**  are more of their type. _Aphrodite made a sinister smile.

"Mom?" Travis said. "If she never knew her mom, that means her mom's a goddess. Which means, we can date her. Cool!"

"You mean  **I** can date her." Connor corrected. "It's best if you not flirt with her, bro. The last thing we want is for Katie to get jealous."

Despite her face turning red, Katie rolled her eyes. "As if."

"Don't even bother, Connor. Piper likes Jason." Percy said, chuckling when Connor visibly deflated at that.

**Piper charged her,**

_Punch her in the face, Sweetie! But don't kill her, I still need to pair her up._ Aphrodite thought with a small giggle.

**but before a fight could start, Coach Hedge barked, "Enough back there! Set a good example or I'll break out my baseball bat!"**

Ares frowned.

"Aw! I was hoping for some action!"

Aphrodite consolingly patted his bicep.

"Me too, hun." she said sadly. "Me too."

**The group shuffled on to the next exhibit, but the girls kept calling out comments to Piper.**

**"Good to be back on the rez?" one asked in a sweet voice.**

"Where is Coach Hedge and his bat when you need them?" Aphrodite muttered, trying to distract herself by filing her nails. "These children are acting out. So why isn't he  _disciplining_ them?"

 _Piper wouldn't want him fighting her battles._ she reminded herself, taking a deep breath.

**"Dad's probably too drunk to work," another said with fake sympathy. "That's why she turned klepto."**

_That's it! I'm going to curse her. That girl's going to be cursed with having bad breath on all of her future dates. _The goddess of love decided, her nail file snapping in half.

**Piper ignored them, but Jason was ready to punch them himself.**

"Do it!" Ares yelled at the same time Aphrodite exclaimed:

"Punch them where it hurts, Jason!  **Where it hurts!** "

Everyone, including her boyfriend (who fell in love with her all over again), stared at her.

"What?" she huffed. "I don't like bullies, okay?"

**He might not remember Piper, or even who he was, but he knew he hated mean kids.**

Percy nodded in agreement.

**Leo caught his arm. "Be cool. Piper doesn't like us fighting her battles.**

"Unfortunately," Aphrodite added.

**Besides, if those girls found out the truth about her dad, they'd be all bowing down to her and screaming 'We're not worthy!'"**

Aphrodite smiled. He was definitely right about that.

"Who's her dad?" Percy asked.

"You'll find out later, I'm sure." Leo said.

 **....Leo laughed in disbelief. "You're not kidding? You really don't remember that your girlfriend's dad-"....** **Leo whistled. "Whatever. We _have_ to talk when we get back to the dorm."**

"That's when I realized he wasn't kidding." Leo reported.

" _That's_ what made you realize? Not him insisting he didn't remember?" Thalia rolled her eyes.

"Piper's dad is pretty unforgettable." he defended.

**They reached the far end of the exhibit hall, where some big glass doors led out to a terrace.**

**"All right, cupcakes," Coach Hedge announced. "You are about to see the Grand Canyon. Try not to break it."**

Leo grimaced at the mention of the Grand Canyon.

"They wouldn't break anything." Annabeth said. "But if Percy was with them, there probably wouldn't even be a Grand Crayon after he visited."

The demigods, except Leo, laughed.

"What are you talking about? Is Percy really that clumsy?" Leo asked.

Annabeth grinned. "Clumsy's not even good enough to describe it. He's more like destructive."

"Hey!" Percy protested over another round of laughter. "I'm not that bad!"

" **"The skywalk can hold the weight of seventy jumbo jets, so you featherweights should be out there. If possible, try to avoid pushing each other over the edge, as that would cause me extra paperwork."**

"Geez, this guy reminds me of Mr. D." Percy whispered to Annabeth.

**The coach opened the doors, and they all stepped outside.....**

**"Man," Leo said. "That's pretty wicked."**

It's amazing how quickly opinions can change after simply getting tossed over a cliff.

 **Jason had to agree. Despite his amnesia and his feeling that he didn't belong there, he couldn't help being impressed....** **Five hundred feet down, a river snaked along the canyon floor.**

Thalia shuddered at the description.

**...As far as Jason could see in any direction, red and gray ravines cut through the desert like some crazy god had taken a knife to it.**

"At least he knows he's a demigod." Annabeth said.

 **Jason got a piercing pain behind his eyes. _Crazy gods_ \- Where had he come up with that idea?.....** **"You all right?" Leo asked. "You're not going to throw up over the side, are you?**

Thalia nodded her approval to Leo. Finally Leo was showing some concern for her bro-

 _No._  she thought, shaking her head.  _That's not the Jason_ ** _I_** _know. That's another Jason._

**'Cause I should've brought my camera."**

"Leo!" Thalia exclaimed in frustration.

"Sorry!"

**Jason grabbed the railing. He was shivering and sweaty, but it had nothing to do with heights. He blinked, and the pain behind his eyes subsided.**

**"I'm fine," he managed "Just a headache."**

"It sounds more than just a headache to me." Apollo said with a frown.

"Maybe it has something to do with trying to regain his memories." suggested Athena.

Apollo shrugged, turning to Leo for confirmation.

"Hey, I don't know." Leo said, adding another paper clip to his chain. By now, Clovis was beginning to look like a paper clip mummy. "I just took his word for it. But it could have to do with his memories."

**Thunder rumbled overhead. A cold wind almost knocked him sideways.**

**"This can't be safe." Leo squinted at the clouds. "Storm's right over us, but it's clear all the way around. Weird, huh?"**

"Weird's got nothing to do with it." Nico said grimly. "There has to be some kind of monster coming."

"Great." Thalia stated with a frown. She halfheartedly plucked her bow.

**...."All right, cupcakes!" Coach Hedge yelled. He frowned at the storm like it bothered him too. "We may have to cut this short, so get to work! Remember, complete sentences!"**

"Ugh! I hate that! Just let me write my answers so I can finish." Percy complained.

**The storm rumbled, and Jason's head began to hurt again. Not knowing why he did it, he reached into his jeans pocket and brought out a coin-a circle of gold the size of a half-dollar, but thicker and more uneven. Stamped on one side was a picture of a battle-ax. On the other side was some guy's face wreathed in laurels. The inscription said something like IVLIVS.**

The tension between the gods was back.

The demigods, except Leo (who frowned, when he realized he was running out of space on Clovis for the rest of his chain), exchanged confused looks.

"I never heard of a coin like that before." Katie said.

"Maybe he got a souvenir or something at a store." Connor said.

"I think there something more to it about that coin." Annabeth stated.

Apollo began to read, before the demigods could discuss further about the coin.

**...Jason put the coin away, wondering how he'd come to have it, and why he had the feeling he was going to need it soon.**

"Maybe he wants to buy a soda with it later." Travis said in mock seriousness.

**"It's nothing," he said. "Just a coin."**

**Leo shrugged. Maybe his mind had to keep moving as much as his hands.**

"Hey!" Leo said. "I had  _way_ more important things to think about then a shinny gold coin!"

**"Come on," he said. "Dare you to spit over the edge."**

"See?" Leo said with a triumphant smile.

"Boys." Phoebe sniffed, glaring at the Stolls, who laughed. "They are all the same in my eye."

"That's because they are, Phoebe." Artemis said.

**They didn't try very hard on the worksheet.**

Athena sighed. 

**For one thing, Jason was too distracted by the storm and his own mixed-up feelings. For another thing, he didn't have any idea how to "name three sedimentary strata you observe" or "describe two examples of erosion."**

"But that's easy!" Annabeth said with exasperation.

"Annabeth," Percy began slowly. "What may be easy for you, may be difficult for others."

**Leo was no help.**

"Of course." Thalia muttered under her breath.

 **..."Check it out." He launched the copter. Jason figured it would plummet,** **but the pipe-cleaner blades actually spun. The little copter made it halfway across the canyon before it lost momentum and spiraled into the void.**

"Dude, that was so cool!" Connor exclaimed.

Leo shrugged. He could've done better.

 **"How'd you do that?" Jason asked....** **"You sure? What was the first day we met? What did we talk about?"**

**"It was..." Leo frowned. "I don't recall exactly. I'm ADHD, man. You can't expect me to remember details."**

"Actually, he should expect you to remember those things, or the conservation at least." Annabeth corrected Leo, who was too fascinated with a fly crawling up a wall to notice she was speaking to him. "You see, demigods' ADHD has a demigod noticing too much, not too little."

"Oh." he simply replied.

**"But I don't remember you at all. I don't remember anyone here. What if-"**

**"You're right and everyone else is wrong?" Leo asked.**

**"You think you just appeared here this morning, and we've got fake memories of you?"**

Everyone stared at Leo, who was currently remaking his helicopter, only this time adding rubber bands.

Leo looked up when he felt eyes staring at him.

"What?"

"How..." Katie began. "How you did guess that?"

"Guess what?"

Apollo reread the paragraph to him.

"Oh, that? Well, I was kinda joking around with him. Hasn't anybody seen something like that in a Sci-fi movie?"

Joking or not," Annabeth said. "That actually explains why Jason has no clue who Leo and Piper are and why they seem to know him."

"But," Nico added. "That doesn't explain why he doesn't remember the rest of his memories, including his age."

"And how he got there." Chris chipped in.

**A little voice in Jason's head said, _That's exactly what I think_.**

"Apparently the voice in Jason's head agrees with our Scooby Doo Detective Agency." Travis said, nodding his head.

 **But it sounded crazy. Everybody here took him for granted. Everybody acted like he was a normal part of the class-except for Coach Hedge....** **About fifty feet away, Piper was trying to fill out her worksheet, but her stupid partner Dylan was hitting on her, putting his hand on her shoulder and giving her that blinding white smile. She kept pushing him away, and when she saw Jason she gave him a look like, _Throttle this guy for me._**

 _Please do Jason. Please do._  Aphrodite silently pleaded.

**...."Did you do this?" the coach asked him.**

**Jason took a step back. "Do what?" It sounded like the coach had just asked if he'd made the thunderstorm.**

_Which he didn't._ Thalia thought quickly, before she could get her hopes up.

**Coach Hedge glared at him, his beady little eyes glinting under the brim of his cap. "Don't play games with me, kid. What are you doing here, and why are you messing up my job?"**

**...."Look sir, I don't know how I got here. I just woke up on the school bus. All I know is I'm not supposed to be here."**

Leo tossed his new and improved helicopter and watched it fly across the room. Ares, in a destructive mood, grabbed it and crushed it into a lump of junk.

Leo, muttering unflattering words about the god of war, drummed his fingers on his knee as he thought what to build next.

**"Got that right." Hedge's gruff voice dropped to a murmur, like he was sharing a secret. "You got a powerful way with the Mist, kid, if you can make all these people think they know you;**

"He had obviously used the mist before." Athena said.

"How was he able to learn it though? I don't remember seeing anyone like him at Camp. Unless he was on the Titans' side." Annabeth said to no one in particular.

**...Most of what the coach said didn't make sense, but he decided to answer honestly. "I don't know who I am. I don't have any memories, You've got to help me."**

**Coach Hedge studied his face like he was trying to read Jason's thoughts.**

"Except he isn't, right?" Leo asked nervously. "'Cause satyrs can't read minds, right?"

"No, Lionel. They can only read someone's feelings" Dionysus replied.

 _Good._ Leo sighed with relief. He didn't know what he would do if people were reading his thoughts.

**"Great," Hedge muttered. "You're being truthful."**

**...."This morning," Hedge said. "I got a message from camp. They said an extraction team is on the way. They're coming to pick up a special package, but they wouldn't give me details. I thought to myself, Fine. The two I'm watching are pretty powerful, older than most. I know they're being stalked. I can smell a monster in the group. I figure that's why the camp is suddenly frantic to pick them up. But then _you_ pop up of nowhere. So, are you the special package?"**

"Special package? What is he talking about? Why would he be a special package." Annabeth muttered, rubbing her head as she tried to make sense of things.

 **The pain behind Jason's eyes got worse than ever. _Half-bloods_.  _Camp_.  _Monsters_....** **"Just sit tight. Reinforcements should be here soon. Hopefully nothing happens before-"**

"He just  _had_ to say something." Leo grumbled. Stupid Murphy's Law.

 **Lightning cracked overhead. The wind picked up with a vengeance. Worksheets flew into the Grand Canyon, and the entire bridge shuddered....** **"I thought you said this thing was stable!" Jason shouted over the wind.**

"Apparently not stable enough." Leo said under his breath.

**"Under normal circumstances," Hedge agreed, "which these aren't. Come on!"**

"That's the end of the chapter." Apollo reported. "Anybody want to read next?"

"I will." Athena said, taking the book.

Leo inwardly groaned as he fidgeted in his seat.

_Great! How many more of these do we have left?_


	3. Jason II

" **Jason II**." Athena began.

"Do all the chapters have the same titles?" Percy asked.

Athena flipped through the pages of the book.

"No," the goddess of wisdom said, "after this Jason chapter, the title will change to Piper. Then after the two Piper chapters it will change to Leo chapters."

Leo, doodling with a black sharpie on Clovis' face, looked up at the sound of his name.

"The pattern repeats itself after the Leo chapters are finished."

"Maybe they are a change of point of view. First Jason, second Piper, then Leo." Annabeth said, not noticing the son of Hephaestus' jaw drop.

"Awesome!" Travis said, his voice full of excitement. "Now we get to read Leo's thoughts!"

Leo paled.

"Perfect blackmail, here we come!" Connor added.

Leo bit the inside of his cheek so hard he could taste blood. _Read my thoughts?! What?! Why would they want to read my thoughts? There's no way they can actually do that, right? I don't know about Jason's, but there's no way this book can have my thoughts! That's impossible! I don't remember having time to write anything down! I don't even remember having enough time to eat!_

Leo took a deep breath and shakily releasing it. He noticed his clenched fist was beginning to ignite in tiny flames and quickly put them out before anyone could notice. Then, it hit him.

 _I don't know why Nemesis wants them to read these books, but  they're **not** going to be reading my chapters. _He gave his uncurling fist a mischievous smile.  _Not if I can help it._

He tried not to stare at the book in Athena's hands. Instead he kept himself busy by drawing a huge smiley face along with the words 'WASSUP?' on Clovis' cheek.

 **The Storm Churned Into a miniature Hurricane. Funnel clouds snaked towards the skywalk like the tendrils of a monster jellyfish....** **Leo lost balance and almost toppled over the railing, but Jason grabbed his jacket and pulled him back.**

The demigods and Hephaestus let out a breath they didn't realize they were holding.

Leo made a face at their actions.

_Oooookaaay... Did they forget I was still sitting here alive or... What?_

**"Thanks, man!" Leo yelled.**

**"Go, go, go!" said Coach Hedge...** **but she looked calm and confident-telling the others it would be okay, encouraging them to keep moving.**

Aphrodite smiled proudly at this.

 _She would make a great hunter._ Artemis thought.

"I'm surprised she's able to be so calm in this situation." Katie said. Fates knew she wasn't during her first monster attack.

**Jason, Leo, and Coach Hedge ran toward them, but it was like running through quicksand. The wind seemed to fight them, pushing them back.**

**Dylan and Piper pushed one more kid inside, then lost their grip on the doors....** **Piper tugged at the handles....**

**"Dylan, help!" Piper shouted.**

"He's not going to do anything, is he?" Percy asked with a grimace.

"No he won't." Annabeth frowned.

**Dylan just stood there with an idiotic grin, his Cowboys jersey rippling in the wind, like he was suddenly enjoying the storm.**

"Should've guessed he was a monster... Nobody can pull off the Superman Cowboy look and still be considered good looking." Percy sighed.

**...He flicked his wrist, and Piper flew backward, slamming into the doors and sliding to the skywalk deck.**

_My poor Piper._ Aphrodite grimaced.

Everyone else winced in sympathy.

**"Piper!" Jason tried to charge forward,**

"Get him! Beat his ass!" Ares cheered.

**but the wind was against him, and Coach Hedge pushed him back.**

"Why did he stop him?" Chris asked.

"Probably because Coach Hedge thought he wasn't experienced enough to fight the monster." Katie suggested with a shrug.

**...."Jason, Leo, stay behind me," the coach ordered. "This is my fight. I should've known that was our monster."**

"At least he's owning up to his mistake." Percy said.

Leo hummed softly to himself as he continued drawing on Clovis' face.

**"What?" Leo demanded. A rogue worksheet slapped him in the face,**

Travis snickered at the mental image.

**...The coach's cap blew off, and sticking up above his curly hair were two bumps-like the knots cartoon characters get when they're bonked on the head.**

Everyone laughed at the ridiculous description.

"Jason always did have a way with words." Leo joked.

**Coach Hedge lifted his baseball bat-but it wasn't a regular bat anymore. Somehow it had changed into a crudely shaped tree-branch club, with twigs and leaves still attached.**

"And you said he hit  _students_ with that thing?" Chris said to Leo in shock.

"Oh, I'm sure they were fine afterwards, Cody." Dionysus said dismissively. "They more than likely received nothing more than a small concussion."

"A small concussion..." Chris repeats in disbelief.  _Am I the only one hearing this?_

 **Dylan gave him that psycho happy smile. "Oh, come on, _Coach_. Let the boy attack me! After all, you're getting too old for this. Isn't that why they  _retired_  you to this stupid school? I've been on your team the entire season, and you didn't even know. You're losing your nose, grandpa!"....** **"You think you can protect three half-bloods at once, old man?" Dylan laughed. "Good luck."**

Nobody liked the sound of that.

**Dylan pointed at Leo, and a funnel cloud materialized around. Leo flew off the skywalk like he'd been tossed. Somehow he managed to twist in midair, and slammed sideways into the canyon wall. He skidded, clawing furiously for any handhold.**

Leo winced.  _Is it sad to say that this isn't the worst fall I've ever had?_

Thinking back to his own fall off a cliff, Hephaestus' breath hitched. He took slow deep breaths to prevent hyperventilation.

 _Leo's fine._ he thought, looking at his son, who was now drawing on Clovis' arm.  _See? He's right there, tormenting the narcoleptic child._

"Ouch!" Travis said sympathetically.

Leo forced a laugh.

"Yeah, that pretty much describes it."

 **Finally he grabbed a thin ledge about fifty feet below the skywalk....** **"Help!" he yelled up at them. "Rope, please? Bungee cord? Something?"**

"Even when you're in serious danger, you still make a big joke out of it." Thalia shook her head.

"It's in my nature, I guess." Leo smiled and shrugged.

**Coach Hedge cursed and tossed Jason his club. "I don't know who you are, kid, but I hope you're good. Keep that thing busy- he stabbed a thumb at Dylan- "while I get Leo."**

**"Get him how?" Jason demanded. "You going to fly?"**

Leo snorted at that.

"He's a satyr, Jason, not a gargoyle." he muttered, drawing a poorly done cat.

**"Not fly. Climb." Hedge kicked off his shoes, and Jason almost had a coronary. The coach didn't have any feet. He had hooves-goat hooves.**

**...."You're a faun," Jason said.**

"Faun?" Percy asked.

"That's the Roman name for satyrs." Annabeth said.

**"Satyr!" Hedge snapped. "Fauns are Roman. But we'll talk about that later."**

**Hedge leaped over the railing. He sailed toward the canyon wall and hit hooves first. He bounded down the canyon wall and hit hooves first....he picked his way toward Leo.**

**"Isn't that cute!" Dylan turned toward Jason. "Now it's your turn, boy."**

"Finally, some action." Ares said.

**Jason threw the club. It seemed useless with the winds so strong, but the club flew right at Dylan, even curving when he tried to dodge, and smacked him on the head so hard he fell to his knees.**

"Yeah! Bull's eye!" Ares cheered.

 **Piper wasn't as dazed as she appeared. Her fingers closed around the club when it rolled next to her, but before she could use it, Dylan rose. Blood-golden blood-trickled from his forehead...** **Inside the museum, kids stopped banging on the doors. They backed away, watching in terror.**

"I wonder what they saw." Apollo mused.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Hermes replied.

**Dylan's body dissolved into smoke, as if his molecules were coming unglued. He had the same face,**

"Unfortunately." Leo muttered, deciding to do something else other than draw on Clovis (he was running out of space on his arm anyway).

Leo took out some wrenches from his tool belt, and began to stack one on top of another.

**the same brilliant white smile, but his whole form was suddenly composed of swirling black vapor, his eyes like electrical sparks in a living storm cloud...**

**"You're a ventus," Jason said, through he had no idea how he knew that word. "A storm spirit."**

"I never heard of those before." Katie said.

"That's because he said the Roman name for Anemoi thuella." Annabeth translated with a frown.

"Are they hard to beat?" Travis asked.

Annabeth, clutching her necklace, bit her lip and nodded.  _Why does he keep calling them by their Roman names?_

**Dylan's laugh sounded like a tornado tearing off a roof. "I'm glad I waited, demigod, Leo and Piper I've known about for weeks. Could've killed them at any time. But my mistress said a third was coming-someone special. She'll reward me greatly for your death."**

"His mistress?" Annabeth wondered.

 **....** **Piper stayed down, pretending to be dazed, her hand still gripping the club. Her face was pale, but she gave Jason a determined look, and he understood the message.**

**_Keep their attention. I'll brain them from behind._  
**

Annabeth nodded her head in approval. "That actually could work."

Ares smirked, also liking the violent idea.

**Cute, smart, and violent. Jason wished he remembered having her as a girlfriend.**

"That is so sweet." Aphrodite giggled.

"Yeah, adorable." Artemis rolled her eyes.

**He clenched his fists and got ready to charge, but he never got a chance.**

Everyone, except Leo (who was halfway done with his fort made entirely wrenches), stiffened.

Thalia gripped tightly on her bow.

**Dylan raised his hand, arcs of electricity running between his fingers, and blasted Jason in chest.**

"No!" Everybody, except Athena, exclaimed. Leo, adding the final wall to his fort, yelped in surprise at the sudden loud noise.

"You!" Thalia said with a Zeus-like growl. She grabbed Leo by the collar of his collar and dragged him to her, effectively knocking down his fort.

"Hey!" Leo exclaimed.

"He's lives right?" Thalia said, pulling him close until their noses were touching.

Normally, Leo would've been ecstatic to have a girl, especially Calypso (completely irrelevant), so close to him. But with the threatening look on the Thalia's face reminded him a awful lot like Dionysus' fan girls, the Maenads. One wrong move and he was dead. Whether that was literal or not, was still Leo's guess.

 _What is she even talking about?_ Leo looked around the room, hoping to get some kind of clue on what she meant, but a few other demigods were looking at him expectantly too. 

"Well, does he live?" Thalia said, shaking him a little, indicating that thinking time was over.

"Yes?" Leo said quickly, knowing that 'yes' was the right answer to everything.

At least, he hoped it was this time.

Thalia sighed in relief, releasing Leo's collar. Leo immediately scrambled over to the glaring Stoll brothers, the only people (besides his dad) who seemed to like him.

Meanwhile Annabeth narrowed her eyes.

_For someone she doesn't know, Thalia shows a lot of concern for Jason._

Athena bit back a huge smile. Although she knew the Roman (sadly) wouldn't die, it gave her satisfaction knowing he got hurt.

 _**Bang!** _ **Jason found himself flat on his back. His mouth tasted like burning aluminum foil...** **Out of the corner of his eye, Jason saw Coach Hedge climbing up the cliff with Leo on his back.**

Leo shook his head in self-disgust.

**Piper was on her feet, desperately swinging the club to fend off the two extra storm spirits,**

_Being ten times more helpful then their sidekick Flaming Valdez._ Leo added. 

**but they were just toying with her. The club went right through their bodies like they weren't there.**

Aphrodite winced while her boyfriend looked amused. 

 **...."Stop," Jason croaked. He rose unsteadily to his feet....** **"How are you alive?" Dylan's form flickered. "That was enough lightning to kill twenty men!"**

 _If he could survive that,_ Thalia thought, eyes widening.  _That would mean that._

She shook her head, trying to ignore her rising hope.

_He's another child of Zeus, nothing more. Dad broke the pact, what else is new?_

"Only a child of Zeus could survive that." Chris said, looking nervously at Hades and Poseidon.

Surprisingly, the two older brothers did not explode at Zeus like the demigods expect to happen. In fact, the worse the two did was glare at their younger brother. 

Percy couldn't help but frown at that.  _How come Dad and Hades didn't blow up like they did with Thalia and Nico? Did they already know about Jason?_

 **"My turn," Jason said...** **The ridged grip fit his fingers perfectly, and the whole thing was gold-hilt, handle, and blade.**

Annabeth frowned. She never heard of a golden weapon like that before.

"That's so cool." Travis said, eyes wide in awe.

"Doesn't it make you want to get one, Percy?" Connor teased.

"No." Percy replied immediately. "I'd rather have a pen that changes into Riptide than a coin like Jason's. What happens if you don't catch it in time?"

"Instant death." Clarisse La Rue spoke up, preferring her Maimer over Jason's coin. "That thing sounds more like a flashy toy then a weapon."

**Dylan snarled and backed up. He looked at his two comrades and yelled, "Well? Kill him!"**

"Coward!" Ares shouted.

 **The other storm spirits didn't look happy with that order, but they flew at Jason, their fingers crackling with electricity...** **Jason stepped in-one quick thrust, and the second storm spirit dissolved into gold powder.**

"I thought you said they were tough to beat." Travis said to Annabeth.

"They are!" Annabeth insisted.

"Then why did Jason kill them so easily?" Chris asked.

"Maybe it's Jason's weapon." Katie suggested.

"Did you hear that, Clarisse?" Connor called out. "That 'flashy toy' just killed two tough monsters with one swipe each. Can your weapon do that?"

"Shut up." the daughter of Ares growled.

**Dylan wailed in outrage. He looked down as if expecting his comrades to reform, but their gold dust remains dispersed in the wind.**

Leo, handing Connor a breath mint, had no doubts that if the wind hadn't blown away the remains, the monsters would've reformed in two seconds flat.

 **"Impossible! Who are you, half-blood?"....** **Then Coach Hedge leaped back onto the skywalk and dumped Leo like a sack of flour.**

Leo rolled his eyes.

Clarisse snorted. "You're not much of a fighter, are you?"

"It's his first monster battle, he's not properly trained for this yet." Hephaestus reminded her. "The boy'll get better after he goes to the camp."

 _You'd think that but..._ Leo trailed off, thinking about his previous fights.

**"Spirits, fear me!" Hedge bellowed, flexing his short arms. Then he looked around and realized there was only Dylan.**

**"Curse it, boy!" he snapped at Jason. "Didn't you leave some for me? I like a challenge!"**

"Did he seriously just yell at Jason for killing the monsters?" Travis said with a laugh. "You'd think he would be impressed that Jason managed to do that by himself."

"I know, right?" Connor agreed, laughing along with him.

"That's Coach Hedge for ya'." Clarisse said with a small smile.

 **Leo got to his feet, breathing hard. He looked completely humiliated,** **his hands bleeding from clawing at the rocks. "Yo, Coach Supergoat, whatever you are-I just fell down the freaking Grand Canyon! Stop asking challenges!"**

"Yeah, probably for the best. The last thing we need is more anemoi thuella showing up." Chris mentioned, but his voice couldn't be heard over the Stolls' laughter.

**Dylan hissed at them, but Jason could see fear in his eyes. "You have no idea how many enemies you've awakened, half-blood. My mistress will destroy _all_ demigods. This war you  _cannot_ win."**

Everyone went quiet at Dylan's words.

Hestia worriedly tended to her hearth.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Percy suddenly shouted, breaking the silence. "We just finished fighting the Titans!" 

Once he said those words, everyone started talking at once.

"We barely survived this war!" Katie exclaimed.

"How're we going to prepare for this? Who are we even fighting?" Hermes muttered, rubbing his throbbing temples. 

"This is bad. This is  _so_ bad..." Connor panicked.

"How many people are going to die this time?" Clarisse grimaced, thinking of Silena and Beckendorf.

Leo looked around the room, completely lost on how to calm everyone down. What was he supposed to tell them? ' _Hey guys, it's not that bad! You just need to rely on me and a couple of my buddies to defeat Mother Earth! By the way, aren't I a great fighter?'_

Thankfully, he didn't have to say anything.

"ENOUGH!" Zeus exclaimed, everyone immediately went quiet.

"We will read the book," he raised his hand, stopping protests. "Find out who this 'mistress' and put a end to the war before it even begins. Got it?"

Everyone, still struggling to control their emotions, murmured their assent.

With that, Athena began to read again.

 **He lunged at Jason, but Piper tackled the monster from behind...** **Leo, Jason, and the coach surged forward to help,**

 _Honestly, I would've been more helpful if I just stood there._ Leo sighed.

**but the spirit screamed with rage. He let loose a torrent that knocked them all backwards.... Leo hit the back of his head and curled on his side, dazed and groaning.**

Leo forced himself to laugh. "Wow, that was not my day."

**Piper got the worst of it. She was thrown off Dylan's back and hit the railing, tumbling over the side until she was hanging by one hand over the abyss.**

Aphrodite chewed her bottom lip nervously.

**Jason started toward her, but Dylan screamed, "I'll settle for this one!"**

**He grabbed Leo's arm and began to rise, towing a half-conscious Leo below him.**

_Great._  Leo thought sarcastically.  _Even with monsters, I'm always second best._

Leo sighed.

_Well... more like seventh best._

He reached into his tool belt for a distraction.

 **The storm spun faster, pulling them upward like a vacuum cleaner....** **Then she slipped, screaming as she fell.**

 _MY BABY!_ Aphrodite mentally screamed, shouting out. "No!"

Everyone else also yelled out.

Meanwhile, Leo took out post-its.

Peeling off a pink paper from his pack, he began to make a tiny paper airplane.

**"Jason, go!" Hedge yelled. "Save her!"**

"Save her?" Travis exclaimed. "How is he supposed to do that? She just fell down the cliff!"

"Maybe she grabs another handhold?" Aphrodite said, face paling. She refused to believe her Piper was going to die.

**The coach launched himself at the spirit with some serious goat fu-lashing out with his hooves, knocking Leo free from the spirit's grasp. Leo dropped safely to the floor,**

_Dropped safely?_  Leo looked at the book as if it made a rude gesture.  _I nearly cracked my head like a egg on the ground._

 **but Dylan grappled the coach's arms instead. Hedge tried to head-butt him....** **Then the satyr and the storm spirit spiraled into the clouds and disappeared.**

 _Coach isn't dead. He can't be, he's too tough for that._ Clarisse thought, biting her lip. Chris grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

 _**Save her?** _ **Jason thought. _She's gone!_**

 _No she's not!_ Aphrodite denied, shaking her head.

**But again his instincts won. He ran to the railing, thinking, _I'm a lunatic_ , and jumped over the side.**

Everyone stared at the book in shock.

Leo threw his pink paper plane in the air.

The mini plane did barrel roll before crash landing on the unforgiving ground.

He was just about to take another post-it, before Thalia yelled: "What the Hades!"

Hades glared at her.

Leo looked up to see the flabbergasted looks on the others faces.

Percy's jaw dropped.

"Did he really just jump off a cliff?" Katie asked in disbelief.

"Is he suicidal?" Connor asked.

"I thought instincts help you survive," Travis said. "not kill you."

**Jason wasn't scared of heights. He was scared of being smashed against the canyon floor five hundred feet below.**

Leo nodded. He can relate to that.

**He figured he hadn't accomplished anything except for dying along with Piper... His face felt like it was peeling off.**

Thalia shuddered. Why is this book have to be so descriptive?

 **In a heartbeat, he caught up with Piper, who was failing wildly...** **He wondered what dying would feel like.**

The demigods grimaced.

That was a common question for a demigod to have.

 _Don't say that, Jason._  Aphrodite thought with a small whimper.

**He was thinking, probably not so good. He wished somehow they could never hit bottom.**

Leo threw his green mini plane.

The plane did a loop-de-loop before landing softly on the ground. Leo smiled proudly at his plane's success.

 **Suddenly the wind died. Piper's scream turned into a strangled gasp....** **He opened his eyes. They weren't falling. They were floating in midair, a hundred feet above the river.**

Aphrodite happily clapped her hands and cheered

"No way." Travis said, eyes wide in awe.

"How is that even possible?" Percy asked.

Thalia smiled. She didn't care how it happened, all that mattered was that Jason and Piper were safe.

"Can you do that, Thalia?" Annabeth asked her closet friend.

Thalia's face turned slightly green but she shrugged as casually as she could. "I dunno, I never tried."

 **He hugged Piper tight, and she repositioned herself so she was hugging him too....** **Her breath smelled like cinnamon.**

Artemis gagged, while Aphrodite sighed with content.

Leo's nose wrinkled at the description.  _Why was that added? What does that have to do with anything at all?_

 **She said, "How did you-".....** **But then he thought: _I don't even know who I am._**

Thalia frowned sympathetically.

 _Maybe he's a loner like Thalia...Luke, and I were._ Annabeth thought.

 **He imagined going up, Piper yelped as they shot a few feet higher....** **The easiest thing would be to sink gently to the canyon floor. Then he looked up. The rain stopped. The storm clouds didn't seem as bad, but they were still rumbling and flashing. There was no guarantee the spirits were gone for good....** **"Let's see." Jason thought _Up_ , and instantly they shot skyward.**

"So cool... Thalia, you have to try it!" Travis said.

"No." Thalia deadpanned.

 **The fact he was riding the winds might've been cool under different circumstances, but he was too much in shock....** **Piper turned Leo over, and he groaned. His army coat was soaked from the rain. His curly hair glittered gold from rolling around in monster dust.**

"Ew!" Aphrodite remarked.

Leo grimaced.

**But at least he wasn't dead.**

**"Stupid...ugly...goat," he muttered.**

"Are you serious?" Clarisse snapped at Leo. "The guy saved your life  _ **twice**  _and that's how you talk about him?"

Percy shook his head.

"You could at least be a little sad about his disappearance," Percy said. "Coach Hedge wasn't exactly... gentle, but still..."

Thalia nodded her head in agreement.

Leo kept his eyes on the post-it in his hands. He tried to ignore the sinking feeling of guilt in his stomach.

 _Just keep it together, Valdez. It's only a matter of time._ The son of Hephaestus gave the book a quick glare.

He threw his bright yellow airplane.

He frowned when it took a nose dive into the ground.

**"Where did he go?" Piper asked.**

**Leo pointed straight up. "Never came down. Please tell me he didn't actually save my life."**

Percy rolled his eyes.

"So what if he did?! Would that be a problem?" Clarisse challenged, Chris gripped her arm.

"No." Leo said, peeling off another post-it.

**"Twice," Jason said.**

**Leo groaned even louder. "What happened? The tornado guy, the gold sword... I hit my head. That's it, right? I'm hallucinating?".....** **"Okay. You acted like...like you'd seen them before. Who _are_  you?"**

 _That's what I want to know._ Thalia thought.

**He shook his head. "That's what I've trying to tell you. I don't know."**

**....The storm dissipated. The other kids from the Wilderness School were staring out of the glass doors in horror.**

"Oh, I forgot they were even there." Leo said, throwing Pink.2.

The mini plane did a U-turn and crashed itself on Leo's forehead.

"Getting hit on the head can make you forget things sometimes." he added, crumpling Pink.2.

 **Security guards were working on the locks now, but they didn't seem to be having any luck....** **"And that thing Dylan turned into..." Piper shuddered. "God, I can't believe it was hitting on me.**

Aphrodite scrunched her nose in disgust.

**He called us... what, demigods?"**

**Leo lay on his back, staring at the sky. He didn't seem anxious to get up. "Don't know what _demi_ means," he said.**

" _Demi_  means half." Athena explained to Leo.

Annabeth nodded in agreement.

"Thanks." Leo muttered, throwing his newest plane.

The plane soared until it landed by Hades' makeshift throne.

Leo smiled sheepishly under the god's glare.

The god swiftly stomped on the little plane.

Leo reluctantly put away his post-it notes.

He sighed as he tried to figure out what to do next.

**"But I'm not feeling too godly. You guys feeling godly?"**

"If you're a demigod, you'll be feeling more crappy then godly." Connor told Leo.

 _Well, that explains my life._  Leo thought.

 **There was a brittle sound like dry twigs snapping, and the cracks in the skywalk began to widen....** **"Ohhh-kay," Leo interrupted. "Look up there and tell me if those are flying horses."**

"That's probably people from camp." Annabeth stated.  _Finally, hopefully we can start to get some answers around here._

 **At first Jason thought Leo had hit his head too hard. Then he saw a dark shape descending from the east-too slow for a plane....** **"And where are they extracting us to?" Piper asked.**

"Someplace safer than here." Percy said.

"Way to be specific, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth smiled, bumping her shoulder against his.

**Jason watched as the chariot landed on the far end of the skywalk....Two teenagers stood in the chariot-a tall blond girl maybe a little older than Jason,**

The demigods immediately looked at Annabeth. **  
**

"It could be my sister." Annabeth said. "It might not be me."

**and a bulky dude with shaved head and face like a pile of bricks.**

Leo smiled at the mention of the rainbow pony dude.

.... **She pulled a knife and ran toward Jason's group while the bulky dude was reining in the horses.**

"Your sister sounds a lot like you, Annabeth." Travis commented.

"Has the same choice of weapon too." Connor added.

**"Where is he?" the girl demanded. Her grey eyes were fierce and startling.**

"It's Annabeth." Percy confirmed, nodding his head.

"You can tell just by that?" Apollo asked.

"Of course he can!" Aphrodite replied, sending Percy a not-so-subtle wink.

Percy tried not to blush.

"Well, I mean, it's kinda obvious that it's her."

Annabeth frowned, wondering what her future self was doing there.

 _Could it have something to do with the special package?_ she wondered.

 **"Where's who?" Jason asked....** **"What about Gleeson? Where is your protector, Gleeson Hedge?"**

"Gleeson?" Travis snickered, only to stop when Clarisse sent him a death glare.

 **The coach's first name was Gleeson? Jason might've laughed if the morning hadn't been quite so weird and scary.....** **Jason did his best to explain, through it was hard to meet those intense gray eyes.**

 _I know the feeling._ Percy thought, giving Annabeth a smile.

However, she was too occupied thinking to notice.

**About halfway through the story, the other guy from the chariot came over. He stood there glaring at them, his arms crossed. He had a tattoo of a rainbow on his biceps, which seemed a little unusual.**

"A rainbow?" Travis laughed. "Really?"

Connor and Leo joined.

 **When Jason had finished his story, the blond girl didn't look** **satisfied. "No, no, no! She told me he would be here. She told me if I came here, I'd find the answer."**

Percy frowned, wondering what had gotten Annabeth so distressed.

Annabeth twirled her necklace in her hand.

_Who is he? And why am I getting so worked up over him going missing?_

Annabeth closed her eyes.

_Who would make me go crazy if they went missing?"_

She slowly opened her eyes in time to meet Percy's worried ones.

She instantly thought back to when Percy went missing after causing a explosion on Mt. Saint Helen's. She had never felt so worried and upset before.

Her thoughts suddenly turned to the title.

_The Lost Hero._

Annabeth let out a soft gasp, before tightly squeezing her necklace.

 _No it has to be another hero._  Annabeth thought.  _It has to be._

But Annabeth couldn't think of anybody else who better qualify the position.

**"Annabeth," the bald guy grunted. "Check it out." He pointed at Jason's feet...**

**"The guy with one shoe," said the bald dude. "He's the answer." .....** **She glared at the sky as though it had done something wrong. "What do you want from me?" she screamed.**

Percy's concern for was growing more and more by the second.

Athena, figuring out who her daughter was talking about, gave Annabeth a worried look.

 _That boy is nothing but trouble._ the goddess of wisdom thought with a scowl.

Annabeth slightly slouched, as if she was losing the ability to hold herself upright.

 **"What have you done with him?"....** **She fumed for a moment. "Fine." She fixed Jason a resentful look. "We'll settle this later."**

"You didn't have to get angry at him." Thalia scolded. "He didn't do anything."

Annabeth looked apologetic. "I know."

 **She turned on her heel and marched toward the chariot......** **"I'm not going anywhere with her." Jason gestured toward the blonde. "She looks like she wants to kill me."**

 _Can't blame him for that one._ Annabeth grimaced at the horrible first impression she made.

**Butch hesitated. "Annabeth's okay. You gotta cut her some slack. She had vision telling her to come here, to find a guy with one shoe. That was supposed to be the answer to her problem."**

**"What problem?" Piper asked.**

"Whatever it is," Percy said to her. "We'll face it together."

He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, but it did little to comfort her. If possible, it made her feel worse.

**"She's been looking for one of our campers, who's been missing for three days," Butch said. "She's going out of her mind with worry. She hoped he'd be here."**

The tension raised as everyone waited to hear what was next.

Leo continued playing with the buttons on his jacket.

**"Her boyfriend," Butch said.**

Aphrodite dramatically gasped. She leaned forward in her chair. 

**"A guy named Percy Jackson."**

  "HER  _WHAT_?" Percy exclaimed, surprising Leo.

Annabeth and Percy looked at each other as if they just noticed the other's presence.

Aphrodite squealed with joy, this time, throwing her arms around Ares.

Nico's eyes widened. He blinked furiously in effort to hold back tears.

 _I should've known,_  Nico thought, balling his hands into fists.  _I'm such a_   **idiot**.

Nico gritted his teeth.

Athena also gritted her teeth as she sat in her throne.

 _Calm done._  she told herself.  _This relationship will not last forever. Give them a couple months, at most, and they're going to breakup and search for other people._

Athena slowly relaxed, confident her daughter would eventually lose interest in Percy. 

"Well, it's about time." Clarisse said gruffly, getting over her shock.

"I know." Travis agreed, nodding his head. "Finally you guys know how you feel about each other."

"It's a shame you two needed a book to figure it out." Katie added.

"Wait, why are you guys so shocked?" Leo said, looking back and forth between the blushing couple. "Weren't you dating before this?"

"No! I didn't even know I liked her! I mean I did... I do like her! It's just.... I never told her and... Ugh!" Percy hid his face in his hands.

Annabeth was looking everywhere but at Percy.

Leo frowned in bewilderment. With the way the two acted in the future, he always assumed that they've been together for years.

"I guess that explains why they weren't making out with each other every five seconds." Leo muttered, but everyone heard it.

Athena choked on air.

Poseidon sputtered. 

"Us?! Making out?! Like, with our lips?!" Percy groaned and scooted away from the daughter of Athena.

Leo looked even more confused. 

"Uh... duh. How else would you do it?"

"Oh gods, I can't believe this is happening." Annabeth grumbled, trying to will the blush away. First Percy's disappeared, now she's apparently going to be his girlfriend? She tried to control the roller coaster of feelings inside her.

"You guys are dorks." Clarisse stated.*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *~ Everyone is not effected by Percy's disappearance yet, because they are excited Percy and Annabeth are finally a couple. However, they will express their feelings about Percy's disappearance in the next chapter.


	4. Piper III

Snickers and giggles can still be heard among the demigods as they sneaked glances in Percy and Annabeth's direction.  Said couple were refusing to meet each other's eyes and kept their distance. 

"Would anyone else like to read?" Athena asked, 

"I'll do it." Chris said, taking the book from the goddess of wisdom.

Once he was seated, Chris began to read.

" **Piper III,** "

Leo fought down the urge to tackle Chris to the ground and burn the book right then and there. 

Forcing his attention else where, he rummaged through his tool belt. 

**After A Morning Of Storm Spirits, goat men, and flying boyfriends, Piper should've been losing her mind. Instead all she felt was felt was dread.**

"That's a pretty calm reaction." Chris remarked.

"Well, at least she's not panicking." Apollo cheerfully added.

**It's starting, she thought. Just like the dream said.**

Apollo's smile faltered. 

The demigods stiffened.

"Great," Percy grimaced. "They're already starting..."

Leo took out a plastic bag of straws from his tool belt.

**She stood in the back of the chariot with Leo and Jason, while the bald guy, Butch, handled the reins....They rose over the Grand Canyon and headed east...icy wind ripping through Piper's jacket. Behind them, more storm clouds were gathering.**

"Sounds like more anemoi thuellai are coming." Katie said with a frown.

"That was fast." Annabeth commented.

**The chariot lurched and bumped. It had no seat belts and the back was wide open....That had been the most disturbing part of the morning-not that Jason could fly but that he'd held her in his arms and yet didn't know who she was.**

_So, did she want him to let her fall to her death?_ Leo wondered, making the foundation of his straw house.

 **All semester she'd worked on his relationship, trying to get Jason to notice her as more than a friend. Finally she'd gotten the big to kiss her....** **It was like someone had wiped his memory and she was stuck in the "do over" of all time.**

Aphrodite sighed sympathetically.

**She wanted to scream. Jason stood right next to her: those sky blue eyes, close-cropped blond hair, that cute little scar on his upper lip.**

Thalia's eyes widened as she softly gasped. That 'cute little' scar on his upper lip was proof Jason was in fact her little brother.  _He's actually alive._

 _Where has he been all these years?_  Thalia thought blinking back tears, not wanting to be confronted by the others yet.

**....Meanwhile, Leo was being annoying as usual.**

Leo laughed at that, finishing the skeleton of his house. " _Gee_ , thanks Piper!"

Taking out Popsicle sticks from his tool belt, he began to add the walls and floor.

**"This is so cool!" He spit a pegasus feather out of his mouth. "Where are we going?"**

"Hey Nico,"

Nico scowled at the sound of Percy's voice.

"Yeah?" he asked, keeping his voice as emotionless as possible.

"Doesn't Leo's actions remind you of anyone?" Percy teased.

"No." Nico replied with the slightest bit of anger in his voice.

Percy raised a eyebrow at that.

 **"A safe place," Annabeth said....** **"Half-Blood?" Piper was immediately on guard...She'd been called a half-blood to many times-Half Cherokee, half-white-and it was never a compliment.**

Aphrodite gnashed her teeth, promising herself she would find the people who said these things to her daughter and make them pay.

**..."She means we're demigods," Jason said. "Half god, half mortal."**

**Annabeth looked back. "You seem to know a lot, Jason...Butch here is the son of Iris, the rainbow goddess."**

"Well, at least that explains the rainbow tattoo." Travis said, laughing with his brother.

Snickering, Leo added wheels to his house, deciding to make a mobile home.

**Leo choked. "Your mom is a rainbow goddess?"**

**"Got a problem with that?" Butch said.**

"You  _might_ want to be careful on what you say about his mom." Katie warned.

"Careful is my middle name." Leo said at the same time Thalia snorted.

"This is Leo we're talking about," she said. "He probably said something offensive that made Butch want to kick him off the chariot."

 _She's actually not that far off._ Leo wondered if he was really that predictable.

**"No, no," Leo said. "Rainbows. Very macho."**

"Nice save." Hermes said with a chuckle.

**"Butch is our best equestrian," Annabeth said. "He gets along great with the pegasi."**

Clarisse frowned, unable to stop herself from thinking about Silena.

Aphrodite sighed, also thinking about her other daughter.

**"Rainbows, ponies," Leo muttered.**

**"I'm gonna toss you off the chariot," Butch warned.**

Thalia looked unsurprised. She couldn't blame Butch for feeling that way.

**...Lightning flashed. The chariot shuddered, and Jason yelled, "Left wheel's on fire!"**

"Oh gods!" Thalia exclaimed.

**Piper stepped back. Sure enough, the wheel was burning, white flames lapping up the side of the chariot-except these looked more like horses than angels.**

"I thought they look like humans." Travis mentioned.

Annabeth opened her mouth to explain, but Chris interrupted.

"It's alright Annabeth, you're about to explain it to Piper in the book."

Annabeth gave Chris a grateful smile. The last thing she wanted was to repeat herself.

Leo pushed his mobile home, which looked more like a square on wheels.

The mobile home rolled forward, until it bumped Ares' foot.

Seeing the thing by his foot, he looked up at Leo and smiled an unfriendly smile before 'gently' kicking it back.

Leo ducked as the object zoomed past his head.

The mobile home smashed into splinters on wall behind him.

Muttering curses to Ares, Leo crawled next to it, searching for any parts he could reuse.

Taking the wheels, he decided he'd make a car next.

 **...."Anemoi come in different shapes," Annabeth said.** **"Sometimes human, sometimes stallions, depending on how chaotic they are."**

"Exactly." Annabeth said.

**....A cold gray ocean stretched out to the left. Snow-covered fields, roads, and forests spread to the right....Piper saw a cluster of buildings like ancient Greek temples, a big blue mansion, ball courts, a lake, and a climbing wall that seemed to be on fire.**

"Good old camp." Percy said fondly. "My home away from home."

"My Fields of Punishment away from the Underworld." Dionysus gruffly commented, flipping the page of his magazine.

"Com'on  _Mr. D,_ you know you love it." Hermes with a smile.

Dionysus pointedly ignored him.

**But before she could really process all she was seeing, their wheels came off and the chariot dropped out of the sky.**

Thalia and Hephaestus paled.

 _Why does it have to be from the sky? Why can't it be a foot above the ground?_ the god inwardly groaned, tapping his fingers against his armrest.

 **Annabeth and Butch tried to maintain control...** **"The lake!" Annabeth yelled. "Aim for the lake!"**

**Piper remembered something her dad had once told her, about hitting water from up high being as bad as hitting cement.**

"That's true..." Annabeth said with a grimace. "But it's better than hitting the ground."

Leo, finishing his car, pushed it back and forth on the floor.

Its wheels groaned and squeaked after the abuse it took from the god of war.

**And- _BOOM_.**

**The biggest shock was the cold. She was underwater, so disoriented that she didn't know which way was up.** **...** **Jason, Leo, and Annabeth were on shore, surrounded by kids giving them blankets and asking questions....Apparently kids fell into the lake a lot, because a detail of campers ran up with a big bronze leaf blower-looking things and blasted Piper with hot air; and in about to seconds her clothes were dry.**

"You'd be surprised with how often this happens." Katie said offhandedly. 

_Sqqqquuuuueaaaaak._

_Sqqqqquuuuueeeeaaaak._

_Sqqqqqquuueaaaaakkkk._

_Squealllllllll!_

Leo's car's wheels made a particularly loud scream in protest as he made the car do a U-turn. _  
_

He was just about to make the car do a figure eight, before Zeus shouted.

"Stop playing with that infernal car!"

Leo sighed and put the car to the side.

**There were at least twenty campers milling around-the youngest maybe nine, the oldest college age, eighteen or nineteen-and all of them had orange T-shirts like Annabeth's... A second later the wreckage of the chariot was tossed from the lake and landed nearby with a wet crunch.**

**"Annabeth!" A guy with a bow and quiver on his back pushed through the crowd. "I said you could borrow the chariot, not destroy it!"**

The Stolls laughed.

"Wow, Annabeth," Connor began. "You've been hanging out with Percy to much."

"Yeah," Travis nodded. "Now you're as destructive as him."

" _Please,_ " Annabeth playfully rolled her eyes. "Nobody is more destructive than Percy."

"Hey!" the son of Poseidon protested over the demigods' laughter.

**"Will, I'm sorry," Annabeth sighed. "I'll get fixed, I promise."**

Will Solace's eyes widened in surprise at his sudden appearance in the book.

**Will scowled at his broken chariot. Then he sized up Piper, Leo and Jason. "These are the ones? Way older than thirteen. Why haven't they been claimed already?"**

"Good question." Percy said, glaring at the gods.

Hephaestus looked down at his latest project on his lap, while Aphrodite twirled her hair and looked up at the damaged ceiling.

**_"Claimed?" Leo asked._ **

**Before Annabeth could explain, Will said, "Any sign of Percy?"**

Remembering Percy Jackson's sudden disappearance, the tension was back.

"Where could he even have gone?" Chris asked to no one in particular. "Why would he even leave in the first place?"

"Someone must've taken him," Annabeth said, grabbing her necklace. "He wouldn't have just upped and left without telling me or Chiron."

Poseidon looked at his son as if this is the last time he would see him.

 _I wish Dad would stop looking at me like that..._ Percy shifted uncomfortably in his position.

**The campers muttered. Piper had no idea who this guy Percy was, but his disappearance seemed to be a big deal.**

Percy gave his friends a shaky smile. 

 **Another girl stepped forward-tall, Asian, dark hair in ringlets, plenty of jewelry and perfect makeup...** **She glanced at Leo, fixed her eyes on Jason like he might be worthy of her attention....She's dealt with a lot of girls like this at the Wilderness School and every other stupid school her father had sent her to.**

 **...** **"Well," the girl said. "I hope they're worth the trouble.**

Leo couldn't help but frown when he remembered Drew was looking at him when she said that.

Percy narrowed his eyes. This girl also reminded him of all the bullies he's faced at his old schools. **  
**

**Leo snorted. "Gee, thanks. What are we, your new pets?"**

"You tell her, Leo!" Travis cheered.

Leo, unsure how to react, just smirked.

**"No kidding," Jason said. "How about the answers before you start judging us-like, what is this place, why are we here, how long do we have to stay?"**

**Piper had the same questions, but a wave of anxiety washed over her head. _Worth the trouble_. If they only knew about her dream. They had no idea...**

Everyone exchanged confused and concerned looks.

Leo sighed, wishing Piper had just told someone instead of keeping it bottled up halfway through the quest.

**"Jason," Annabeth said. "I promise we'll answer your questions. And Drew"-**

Drew Tanaka, who had being filing her finger nails, looked up at the mention of her name.

Aphrodite frowned when she realized her daughter, Drew, had been acting like that.

**she frowned at the glamour girl. -"all demigods are worth saving. But I'll admit, the trip didn't accomplish what I hoped."**

**....Drew sniffed. "And nobody _wants_  you, hon. Does your hair always look like a dead badger?"**

"Her hair's not  _that_ bad." Aphrodite couldn't help but say with a frown. "It just... needs a little work, that's all."

"Hmm." Drew responded, not agreeing but not disagreeing.

The demigods in the room glared at Drew, but the girl continued looking in her compact mirror as if she didn't notice.

**Piper stepped forward, ready to smack her,**

"Oh please." Drew scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I'd like to see her try, I'm in a good mood for a laugh."

The goddess's frown deepened.

Clarisse rolled her eyes.  _Ya' fight one war and now you think you're a total bad ass._

**but Annabeth said, "Piper, stop."**

**Piper did. She wasn't a bit scared of Drew,**

"You should." Drew murmured, looking at her appearance through her compact mirror.

**but Annabeth didn't seem like somebody she wanted for an enemy.**

"Good choice." Surprisingly, Leo said. He shuddered as he remembered the look on her face after he accidentally attacked New Rome.

Some of the demigods gave him a questioning glance, wondering what he did to face the daughter of Athena's wrath.

 **"We need to make our new arrivals feel welcome," Annabeth said, with another pointed look at Drew.....** **"Would somebody tell me what _claimed_  means?" Piper asked.**

**Suddenly there was a collective gasp. The campers backed away.... Then she realized their faces were bathed in a strange red light, as if someone had lit a torch behind her. She turned and almost forgot how to breathe**

**Floating over Leo's head was a blazing holographic image-a fiery hammer.**

"Why explain it, when you could show it." Travis said with a smile.

"That was fast." Demeter remarked, not really surprised. Like herself, Hephaestus was usually quick about claiming his children. Whether it was because he didn't want his children to feel abandoned like he did as a child, or he was worried he would be so caught up in his work he might forget, Demeter had no clue.

**"That," Annabeth said, "is claiming."**

**"What'd I do?" Leo backed toward the lake. Then he glanced up and yelped. "Is my hair on fire?"**

Everyone laughed.

Leo sheepishly smiled, wondering if he could possibly die from humiliation.

"Seriously?" Katie asked with a giggle. "You just fell in a lake, how on earth would you manage to get your hair on fire?"

"I guess I forgot." Leo shrugged, not telling her he thought he accidentally set his hair on fire.

 _That would have been difficult to explain._ Leo thought.

**He ducked, but the symbol followed him, bobbing and weaving so it looked like he was trying to write something in flames with his head.**

"Best. Claim. Ever." Travis said still laughing.

"Glad my traumatic experience entertains you." Leo said in mock offense.

**"This can't be good," Butch muttered. "The curse-"**

The laughter quickly died down.

"Curse?" Hephaestus repeated, eyebrows furrowed.

"What is he talking about?" Percy asked.

"Did somebody curse the Hephaestus cabin?" Thalia questioned.

"Why would anybody curse one cabin and not the whole camp?" Annabeth pointed out.

**"Butch, shut up," Annabeth said. "Leo, you've just been claimed-"**

**"By a god," Jason interrupted. "That's the symbol of Vulcan, isn't it?"**

"Jason's a trekkie?" Percy said with a confused frown.

"That's the Roman name for Hephaestus." Annabeth corrected, still not meeting his eyes.

"What is up with this guy and the Roman names." Connor asked with slight exasperation.

**..."Jason," Annabeth said carefully, "how did you know that?"**

**"I'm not sure."**    **  
**

" _Oooof_ course he doesn't..." Katie sighed, resting her head on her hand.

**"Vulcan?" Leo demanded. "I don't even LIKE _Star Trek_.**

Vulcan sputtered at the boy's words, before flickering back to his dazed counterpart.

Luckily, the demigods were too busy laughing at Leo's comment to notice.

**What are you talking about?"**

**...The fiery hammer faded, but Leo kept swatting the air like he was afraid it was following him. "The god of what? Who?"**

"Just calm down, no need to panic." Hestia said calmly.

**Annabeth turned to the guy with the bow. "Will, would you take Leo, give him a tour? Introduce him to his bunk-mates in Cabin Nine."**

**"Sure, Annabeth."**

"This'll interesting." Will commented.

**"What's Cabin Nine?" Leo asked. "And I'm not a Vulcan!"**

The Stolls laughed.

**"Come on, Mr. Spock, I'll explain everything."**

Their laughter soon was followed by others.

**....Annabeth turned her attention back to Jason....but Annabeth didn't seem to care that he was a good-looking guy.**

"Of course she wouldn't! She's dating the love of her life, Percy Jackson!" Aphrodite giggled.

"We're not dating!" Percy squeaked, his face turning red.

"Not yet." the goddess of love pointed out.

"Referring to Percy as 'the love of her life' is a stretch." Athena grumbled.

**She studied him more like he was a complicated blueprint.**

Athena smiled. That sounded like the Annabeth she knew and loved.

 **Finally she said, "Hold out your arm.".....** **Jason had taken off his windbreaker....** **The tattoo couldn't have just appeared, but it was darkly etched, impossible to miss: a dozen straight lines like a bar code, and over that eagle with the letters of SPQR.**

Athena felt her upper lip curl up in hatred. 

The other gods warily watched the demigods' reaction to the description.

Thankfully they seemed more confused about the tattoo's appearance than anything else.

"What kind of tattoo is that?" Annabeth muttered, distracted by her own feelings than the actual meaning behind the markings.  _Why do I feel this sense of danger and... disgust?_  Her eyes narrowed further.  _I don't think I've ever seen these marks before._

Travis forced himself to laugh and elbowed his brother. 

"What a weird tattoo." Travis chuckled, giving him a meaningful look.

"I know." Connor agreed, catching on. "I hope he didn't pay for that."

 **"I've never seen marks like this," Annabeth said....** **The other campers pushed forward, trying to get a look at Jason's tattoo. The marks seemed to them a lot-almost like a declaration of war.**

Nobody liked the sound of that.

Zeus felt a headache coming on.

_It's going to be like the Civil War all over again._

The god grimaced.

**"They look burned into your skin," Annabeth noticed.**

Thalia grimaced at the idea of someone burning a crazy tattoo on her little brother.

"It's almost like whoever did it labeled him like he was their property..." Thalia shuddered.

Everyone winced at that.

"Oh my gods..." Katie muttered, hugging her arms.

"Who would do that?" Chris said softly, looking disturbed.

 **"They were," Jason said. Then he winced as if his head was aching....** **No one said anything. It was clear the campers saw Annabeth as the leader. They were waiting for her verdict.**

Annabeth sat up straight, trying not to look too happy at that.

"Of course Annabeth would be the leader." Percy smiled.

**"He needs to Chiron," Annabeth decided. "Drew, would you-"**

"Drew?" Thalia repeated incredulously. She gave Annabeth a look of disbelief.

Annabeth frowned. "I guess I was so focused on what that tattoo meant, I really didn't think about it."

**"Absolutely." Drew laced her arm through Jason's.**

**"This way, sweetie. I'll introduce to our director. He's...an interesting guy." She flashed Piper a smug look and led Jason toward the big blue house on the hill.**

Leo couldn't help but feel sympathetic for the daughter of Aphrodite. 

 _Poor Drew,_  Leo thought.  _She won't even know what hit her._

**...."Who's Chiron?" Piper asked. "Is Jason in some kind of trouble?"**

**Annabeth hesitated. "Good question, Piper. Come on, I'll give you tour. We need to talk."**

"That's the end of the chapter." Chris said, holding out the book.

 _Athena said that after two Piper chapters, I'm next._ Leo nervously ran his hand through his hair.  _We just read one Piper chapter. We have to have a break soon._

"Reading another chapter sounds great and all," Leo shook his head when Chris offered him the book. "But, I'm starting to feel hungry. Could we have a break soon?"

Zeus sighed. A break sounded great right about now.

"After this chapter, we can have a break." Zeus said.

Leo smiled and fist pumped.  _Yes! Too easy!_

Moving over to Grover, the happy son of Hephaestus took out a black sharpie from his tool belt

 _Just on more chapter,_ Leo drew a smiley face on the satyr's forehead.  _I can deal with that._


	5. Piper IV

Leo felt like a cell phone set on vibrate. As much as he desperately wanted to make as much noise of excitement as he could, he restrained himself from making any noise remotely possible.

However, this silent vow had little, if any, effect on his constantly moving body.

_Keep it together, Valdez._ Leo thought, untying his shoelace.  _You have just one more chapter before it's good bye book, and hello ashes._

Leo grinned, firmly retying his shoes for the umpteenth time.

"Does anybody want to read?" Chris asked, still holding the book.

"I'll read." Katie volunteered, taking the book.

" **Piper IV** ," she read out loud.

**Piper Soon Realized Annabeth's Heart wasn't in the tour.**

**She talked about all this amazing stuff the camp offered-magic, archery, pegasus riding, the lava wall, fighting monsters- but she showed no excitement as if her mind were elsewhere....** **Piper wondered who ran the camp, and how they'd known Piper and her friends belonged here... Could you flunk out of monster fighting?**

"Well... you could." Nico muttered. "But flunking is a nice way of saying dying."

**A million questions bubbled in her head, but given Annabeth's mood, she decided to keep quiet.**

Annabeth frowned. Although she did appreciate Piper being thoughtful about her feelings, she wished Piper had asked her questions anyway. She did not want to be the person who deprives people from asking questions.

**...Piper turned and got an amazing view of the valley-a big stretch of the woods to the northwest....the whole layout of the cabins-a bizarre assortment of buildings arranged like a Greek omega, with a loop of cabins around a central green, and two wings sticking out the bottom on either side. Piper counted twenty cabins in all.**

The demigods smiled, happy the gods kept their promise.

**One glowed golden,**

Apollo and his cabin cheered at the mention of their cabin.

**Another silver.**

Artemis and her hunters smiled.

**One had grass on the roof.**

Demeter beamed in pride.

_Oh thank gods!_ Katie sighed with relief.  _If I heard there was even one chocolate bunny on that roof, I swear on all things good..._

**Another was bright red with barbed wire trenches.**

"The best cabin!" Ares exclaimed with Clarisse shouting in agreement.

**One cabin was black with fiery green torches out front.**

For the first time after the recent news about Percy and Annabeth's relationship, Nico smiled.

Although he knew he would rarely, if ever, visit Camp Half-Blood after this, it was still nice to know his father finally had a cabin at the camp.

Hades looked surprised he had gotten a cabin.  _I thought Hera was going to convince Zeus not to give me one._

**All of it seemed like a different world from the snowy hills and fields outside....** **She looked at Piper like she was trying to judge how Piper was handling the news.**

**"You're saying Mom was a goddess."**

**Annabeth nodded. "You're taking this awfully calmly."**

"Way better than Leo did." Travis teased.

Connor snickered.

"Not all people can keep a cool head when they find out their absentee dad's a god," Leo said, playfully rolling his eyes as he drummed his fists on the hard marble floor.

Hephaestus frowned at the description.  _Well, it's not like he's wrong._

**Piper couldn't tell her why... _Soon they will find you, demigod,_ that voice rumbled.  _When they do, follow our directions. Cooperate, and your father might live._**

Aphrodite gasped.

"Do you think it might be the Titians?" Katie asked.

"No, it couldn't be," Annabeth denied. "We just beat them."

"I hope not." Percy grimaced.  _I don't think I can handle another fight with Kronos._

**Piper took a shaky breath. "I guess after this, it's easier to believe. So who's my mom?"**

**.... [Annabeth] "They made a promise last summer...well, long story... but they promised not to ignore their demigod children anymore,**

Leo rolled his eyes, thinking about the closing of Olympus. 

"Some deal." he grumbled.

**to claim them by the time they turn thirteen. Sometimes it takes a little longer, but you saw how fast Leo was claimed once he got here."**

_I'm not even in the chapter and I **still**  manage to get mentioned. _Leo sighed with mild annoyance, his index finger drawing circles on his leg.

**....Piper wondered if she'd have a big flaming hammer over her head, or with her luck, something even more embarrassing. A flaming wombat, maybe.**

Everyone laughed.

**Whoever her mother was, Piper had no reason to think she'd be proud to claim a kleptomaniac daughter with massive problems.** **  
**

"I'm sure that's not true." Aphrodite said with a knowing smile.

Hestia nodded in agreement. "I think it's the opposite, really."

"I know I would!" Hermes said happily.

**"Why thirteen?"**

**"The older you get," Annabeth said, "the more monsters notice you, try to kill you. 'Round thirteen is usually when it starts. That's why we send protectors into the schools to find you guys, get you to camp before it's too late."**

**....Piper had no trouble believing Coach Hedge was half goat. She'd seen the guy eat.**

"If he eats anything like Grover, I'd think I understand." Percy joked.

Annabeth and Thalia laughed.

Percy watched the daughter of Athena laugh intently. He knew he shouldn't be looking at her for this long, but he still couldn't believe that he would be dating  _the_ Annabeth Chase. All this time he had been confused about his feelings toward her and Rachel then-  _BOOM!_ A book from the future comes out of nowhere and tells everyone that his future love life. 

It was probably the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to him, but he was kinda glad it helped sort out his feelings.

_Now if  I can just talk to her about them._ Percy quickly turned his gaze when Annabeth caught him staring. _How did my future self talk to her about this?_

**She'd never liked the coach much, but she couldn't believe he'd sacrificed himself to save them.**

_More like he sacrificed himself to save **me**  _Leo thought.

**"What happened to him?" she asked "When we went up into the clouds, did he...is he gone for good?"**

_Thank gods he wasn't._ Leo didn't know how he would live with himself if he was responsible for  _another_  death.

**"Hard to say." Annabeth's expression was pained. "Storm spirits...difficult to battle. Even our best weapons, Celestial bronze, will pass right through them unless you can catch them by surprise."**

**"Jason's sword just turned them to dust," Piper remembered.**

Connor wiggled his eyebrows at Clarisse.

"Big deal!" Clarisse scowled.

**"He was lucky then. If you hit a monster just right, you can dissolve them, send their essence back to Tartarus."**

"Anybody could've done it." the daughter of Ares stressed.

**"Tartarus."**

**"A huge abyss in the Underworld, where the worst monsters come from. Kind of like a bottomless pit of evil."**

**...But since this storm spirit Dylan got away-well, I don't know why he'd keep Hedge alive.**

A couple people winced at that.

_The coach'll be fine..._ Clarisse reassured herself.

**Hedge was a protector, though. He knew the risks. Satyrs don't have mortal souls. He'll be reincarnated as a tree or a flower or something."**

Leo tilted his head, deep in thought. He could see Coach Hedge more as a violent Venus fly trap than a delicate daisy.

**Piper tried to imagine Coach Hedge as a clump of very angry pansies.**

The Stolls laughed at the mental image.

**...She gazed at the cabins below, and an uneasy feeling settled over her... _Do what we tell you,_ the voice had said.  _Or the consequences will be painful..._**

Aphrodite balled her hands into fists. That voice was  _really_  starting to annoy her.

**"It'll be okay," Annabeth promised. "You have friends here. We've all been through a lot of weird stuff. We know what you're going through."**

**I doubt that, Piper thought.**

"Maybe they don't know the full story, but that doesn't mean that they can't help." Hestia pointed out, watching the flames dance in her hearth. 

**"I've been kicked out of five different schools the past five years," she said. "My dad's running out of places to put me."**

"That's actually not that bad." Percy remarked in surprise.

"Not that bad?" Leo echoed, giving a odd look the son of Poseidon.

"Trust me," Percy said. "She could have had worse."

"Like I said," Annabeth told Leo. " _Nobody_ is as destructive as Percy Jackson."  

**"Only five?" Annabeth didn't sound like she was teasing** **....Right. It's because we're hardwired for battle. Restless, impulsive-we don't fit in with regular kids. You should hear how much trouble Percy-" Her face darkened.**

Like it did now. 

_I can't believe Percy really disappeared._ Annabeth bit her lip.

**...."I steal stuff," she said.**

"Hey, Dad! You were right, Piper finally embraced her kleptomania." Connor said with joy.

Travis beamed like a child on his birthday.

"I told you." Hermes said with a smile. "It was a only matter of time before it happened."

**"Well, not really steal..."**

Hermes, Connor, and Travis visibly deflated at the once again denial.

**"Is your family poor?"**

**Piper laughed bitterly. "Not even. I did it... I don't know why. For** -"

"The adrenaline rush?" Travis interrupted with a bright smile on his face.

"That warm fuzzy feeling you get, when you steal something and know you'll never get caught?" Hermes asked, sighing fondly, ignoring the pointed glare from Hera.

"The bragging rights?" Connor asked with a smirk.

"No!" Katie said, glaring at the Stolls.

" **attention,** "

"Oh." Travis simply said.

"Same thing." Connor added dismissively.

Hermes shrugged, he liked his reason better, but attention was good too.

**My dad never had time for me unless I got in trouble."**

Aphrodite frowned at that.

Annabeth gave the book an empathetic frown.

**...."Well... nobody ever believes me. The police, teachers-even the people I took stuff from: they're so embarrassed, they'll deny what happened. But the truth is, I don't steal anything. I just ask people for things. And they give me stuff.**

Drew, smearing lipstick on her lips, paused.

_It sounds like she has..._ Drew snorted and shook her head.  _No, there is no way in Hades is Piper related to me. That's like saying a child of Athena has a bellybutton, it can't be true. Piper's just lying to make herself look less guilty._

With a satisfied smile, Drew admired herself in the small handheld mirror.

**Even a BMW convertible. I just asked. And the dealer said, 'Sure. Take it.'**

"What I wouldn't give to have an ability like that." Travis said wistfully. "Do you know how much things I would take."

_In that case, I'm glad this isn't a Hermes trait._ Katie thought, flipping the page.

**Later, he realized what he'd done, I guess. Then the police came after me."**

**...Annabeth shook her head, apparently mystified. "I don't know, then. With luck, your mom will claim you tonight."**

_You can count on it._ Aphrodite silently swore.

**...If her mom were a goddess, would she know about that dream? Would she know what Piper had been asked to do?**

_Well maybe not before, but she does now._ Leo spared a glance at the goddess of love, fidgeting in his current position.

**Piper wondered if Olympian gods ever blasted their kids with lightning for being evil, grounded them in the Underworld.**

Hades smirked. He had no idea about Poseidon and Zeus, but he had no problems grounding his son or his nephew, Percy Jackson, in the Underworld.

Percy shuddered in memory of Hades' dungeons. Percy didn't envy Nico if he ever got grounded by his father.

**....Annabeth was studying her. Piper decided she was going to have to have to be careful what she said from now on. Annabeth was obviously pretty smart. If anyone could figure out Piper's secret...**

**....They hiked a little farther until they reached a cave near the top of the hill....It looked like set for some kind of twisted puppet show.**

"That's new." said Percy stating the obvious.

"Who do you think it's for?" Thalia asked.

Nobody knew the answer to that.

Leo eyed his abandoned car, before glancing at Zeus.

**"What's in there?" Piper asked.**

**Annabeth poked her head inside, then sighed and closed the curtains. "Nothing, right now. A friend's place. I've been expecting her for a few days, but so far, nothing."**

"What kind of friend do you have that lives in a cave, Annabeth? Batwoman?" Travis joked.

**"Your friend lives in a cave?"**

**Annabeth almost managed a smile. "Actually, her family has a luxury condo in Queens, and she goes to a finishing school in Connecticut. But when she's here at camp, yeah, she lives in the cave.**

Percy frowned. That sounded a lot like Rachel, but what would Rachel be doing living in a cave?

**She's our oracle, tells the future. I was hoping she could help me-**

Apollo gave the book a confused look. Although he was happy his mummy was finally out of the attic, he wondered why Annabeth would call the corpse her friend.

_Maybe the curse has finally been lifted._ Apollo smiled at the thought, hoping it was true.

**"Find Percy," Piper guessed.**

**All the energy drained out of Annabeth, like she'd been holding it together for as long as she could. She sat down on a rock, and her expression was so full of pain, Piper felt like a voyeur.**

Some people sent Annabeth pitying looks, but stopped when she glared at them. She didn't want or need their pity.

Percy scratched the back of his neck, wishing he could comfort her in some way.

**...Her eyes drifted to the crest of the hill, where a single pine tree dominated the skyline. Something glittered in its lowest branch-like a fuzzy gold bath mat.**

Thalia huffed, while everyone else laughed.

"That fuzzy gold 'bath mat' saved my life." the daughter of Zeus said, crossing her arms.

**Then she noticed the base of the tree. At first she thought it was a pile of massive purple cables.**

"I think the mist was still affecting her mind when she saw that." Annabeth stated. 

"Hopefully the effects will go away soon." Athena said.

**But the cables became reptilian scales, clawed feet, and a snakelike head with yellow eyes and smoking nostrils.**

Leo smiled. The dragon sounded cool, but he was nowhere near as awesome as Festus.

**...."You look ready to drop," Piper said. "How long have you been searching for your boyfriend?"**

**"Three days, six hours, and about twelve minutes.**

"Wow, Annabeth." Katie said. "That's some dedication."

_Oh my gods, I must be a wreck..._ Annabeth grimaced, running her hand through her hair.

"You can't find Percy if you're running yourself to the ground." Athena told her daughter.

Percy gave her a worried glance, wondering if she slept at all during that time.

**"And you've got no idea what happened to him?"**

**Annabeth shook her head miserably. "We were so excited because we both started winter break early. We met up at camp on** **Tuesday, figured we had three weeks together. It was going to be great. Then after the campfire, he-he kissed me good night,**

"Aaww!" Aphrodite cooed.

**went back to his cabin, and in the morning, he was gone.**

**We searched the whole camp. We contacted his mom.**

Percy grimaced at the thought of his mom's face when she heard her baby boy had gone missing.

_Poor Sally, I hope she's doing alright._ Poseidon thought with a similar grimace.

**Piper was thinking: Three days ago. The same night she'd had her dream.**

"I think that dream is somehow connected to Percy's disappearance." Katie said.

Leo looked at his car before glancing back at Zeus.

**"How long were you guys together?"**

**...."Almost exactly when I met Jason," Piper said. "But we're only been together a few weeks."**

**Annabeth winced. "Piper... about that. Maybe you should sit down."**

Aphrodite frowned.  _I had a feeling this was going to be brought up..._

**Piper knew where this was going. Panic started building inside her, like her lungs were filling with water.** **...."Piper," Annabeth said sadly. "It's the Mist."**

Aphrodite flinched.

_Poor Piper, she'll be crushed._

**"Missed...what?"**

**...."But Jason's not a monster!" Piper insisted. "He's a human guy, or demigod, or whatever you want to call him. My memories aren't fake They're so real. The time we set Coach Hedge's pants on fire. The time Jason and I watched a meteor shower on the dorm roof and I finally got the stupid guy to kiss me..."**

_He kissed her willingly._ Drew snorted.  _Now I know she's delusional._

**She found herself rambling, telling Annabeth about her whole semester at Wilderness School. She'd liked Jason from the first week they'd met. He was so nice to her, and so patient, he could even put up with hyperactive Leo and his stupid jokes.**

"I would love to know how he does it." Thalia muttered as Leo, in the middle of fidgeting, accidentally elbowed Connor.

"Hey!" the son of Hermes whined.

"Sorry!" Leo responded, tapping his feet. 

**He'd accepted her for herself and didn't judge her because of the stupid things she'd done. They'd spent hours talking, looking at the stars, and eventually-finally-holding hands. All that couldn't be fake.**

_Don't worry Piper, you'll win his heart. You are my daughter after all. _the goddess grinned.

**Annabeth pursed her lips. "Piper, your memories are a lot sharper than most. I'll admit that, and I don't know why that is. But if you know so well-"**

**"I do!"**

**"Then where is he from?"**

**....Her mind went blank. She didn't know Jason's last name. How could that be?**

**She started to cry.**

Leo winced. He couldn't help but feel grateful that Piper wasn't here. She would've died if she found out people were reading about this.

**She felt like a total fool, but she sat down on the rock next to Annabeth and just fell to pieces. It was too much. Did everything that was good in her stupid, miserable life have taken away?**

"Things will get better." Aphrodite promised. "You still have a chance." 

**_Yes,_ the dream had told her.  _Yes, unless you do exactly what we say._**

_Oh shut up!_ the goddess of love snapped.

**"Hey," Annabeth said. "We'll figure it out. Jason's here now. Who knows? Maybe it'll work out with you guys for real."**

"Exactly!" Aphrodite nodded with approval.

Annabeth silently hoped she was right.

**Not likely, Piper thought. Not if the dream had told her the truth. But she couldn't say that.....** **Piper gazed at the crazy assortment of cabins in the valley. Her new home, a family who supposedly understood her-but soon they'd be just another bunch of people she'd disappointed, just another place she'd been kicked out of. _You'll betray them for us,_ the voice had warned.  _Or you'll lose everything._**

**She didn't have a choice.**

"You always have a choice." Percy muttered, hoping Piper would realize she was wrong.

**"Yeah," she lied. "I'm ready."**

**On the central green, a group of campers was playing basketball. They were incredible shots. Nothing bounced off the rim. The pointers went in automatically.**

"That's obviously my cabin!" Apollo stated with a bright smile. "Only children of the god of awesome could do that."

**"Apollo's cabin,"**

Apollo's smile grew. He wiggled his eyebrows at his sister who rolled her eyes.

**Annabeth explained. "Bunch of showoffs with missile weapons-arrows, basketballs."**

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Artemis muttered.

**They walked past a central fire pit, where two guys were hacking each other with swords.**

**"Real blades?" Piper noted. "Isn't that dangerous?"**

**"That's sort of the point,"**

A few people, even Annabeth, winced.

_Maybe the Stoll's are right..._  Annabeth pondered. _Maybe I do hang out with Percy too much..._

**Annabeth said. "Uh, sorry. Bad pun. That's my cabin over there. Number Six." She nodded to a gray building with a carved owl over the door.**

Athena, if possible, straightened proudly in her throne.

**....She led Piper around the side of the cabin, to a big metal shed that looked like it was meant for gardening tools. Annabeth unlocked it, and inside were not gardening tools, unless you wanted to make war on your tomato plants.**

Demeter gasped in horror. "Who would do such a thing?!"

Katie and Hades rolled their eyes at the goddess's reaction.

**The shed was lined with all sorts of weapons-from swords to spears to clubs like Coach Hedge's.**

**"Every demigod needs a weapon," Annabeth said. "Hephaestus makes the best,**

The faintest of smiles appeared on the god's ugly face.

**but we have a pretty good selection, too. Athena's all about strategy-matching the right weapon to the right person. Let's see..."**

**....Annabeth rummaged a little farther in the shed and brought out something else.**

**"A shotgun?" Piper asked.**

**"Mossberg 500." Annabeth checked the pump action like it was no big deal.**

"Wait! We have _a freakin' shotgun_ in the toolshed?! Why didn't anybody tell me?" Leo exclaimed. "I could've been using  _that_ as a weapon this whole time ins-"

"NO!" Hephaestus suddenly interrupted, all the worst case scenarios rushed through his head. 

Seeing the surprised looks on some of the readers' faces, the god awkwardly cleared his throat and lowered his voice. "Just...no."

_Really? Me having a gun was that bad? _Leo let out an exasperated sigh before turning his attention to his car.

**"Don't worry. It doesn't hurt humans. It's modified to shoot Celestial bronze, so it only kills monsters.**

Leo tentatively gave his car a small push.

_Eek._

Leo immediately looked up at Zeus, relieved when he saw no reaction.

**"Um, I don't think that's my style," Piper said.**

**"Mmm, yeah," Annabeth agreed. "Too flashy."**

"It would've looked pretty cool on me..." Leo muttered.

**She put the shotgun back and started poking through a rack of crossbows when something in the corner of the shed caught Piper's eye.**

**"What is that?" she said. "A knife?"**

**...."I don't know, Piper." Annabeth sounded uneasy. "I don't think you want this one. Swords are usually better."**

"That's ironic coming from you." Thalia said to Annabeth with a smile.

Leo, still hesitant, gave his car another tiny push.

_Eek._

The king of all gods made no action that revealed his annoyance.

**"You use a knife." Piper pointed to the one strapped to Annabeth's belt.**

Holding onto her weapon, Annabeth smiled sadly at the mention of her knife.

**"Yeah, but..." Annabeth shrugged. "Well, take a look if you want."**

**...."It suits you," Annabeth admitted. "That kind of blade is called a parazonium. It was ceremonial, carried by high-ranking officers in Greek armies. It showed you were a person of power and wealth, but in a fight, it could protect you just fine."**

Aphrodite nodded her head in approval. 

"And it makes a perfect mirror." the goddess added with a smile.

Artemis gave the goddess a look of disdain. "I don't think that should matter when choosing a weapon."

**"I like it," Piper said. "Why didn't you think it was right?"**

**Annabeth exhaled. "That blade has a long story. Most people would be afraid to claim it. Its first owner... well, things didn't turn out too well for her. Her name was Helen."**

**Piper let that sink in. "Wait, you mean _the_  Helen? Helen of Troy?"**

Hera sent a venomous glare in Zeus' direction at the mention of yet  _another_ child of Zeus.

**...."We're surrounded by Ancient Greek stuff," Annabeth said. "This isn't a museum. Weapon like that-they're meant to be used. They're our heritage as demigods. That was a wedding present from Menelaus, Helen's first husband**

Aphrodite crinkled her nose at the mention of Menelaus. She was more of a Paris/Helen shipper.

**She named the dagger Katoptris."**

**....Piper looked at the blade again. For a moment, her own image stared up at her, but then the reflection changed. She saw flames, and a grotesque face like something carved from bedrock. She heard the same laughter as in her dream. She saw her dad in chains, tied to a post in front of a roaring bonfire.**

_What?!_ Aphrodite's jaw dropped.  _Who would kidnap an innocent mortal and do this?!_

"That's horrible!" Hestia gasped.

"That's probably why she's willing to listen to the voice." Nico said grimly.

Annabeth shuddered. Despite her and her father's rocky relationship, she still loved him. She couldn't imagine how she would react to seeing that.

**She dropped the blade.**

**...Annabeth hesitated. Then she waved off the Apollo kids. "Okay, if you're sure. You turned really pale, there. I thought you were having a seizure or something.**

**"I'm fine," Piper promised,**

However it did little effect on the concerned goddess of love.

**though her heart was still racing. "Is there... um, a phone at camp? Can I call my dad?"**

**Annabeth's grey eyes were almost as unnerving as the dagger blade. She seemed to be calculating a million possibilities, trying to read Piper's thoughts.**

Leo shuddered at the memory of the angry grey eyes.

Percy tried not to think to deeply about her eyes.

**"We aren't allowed phones," she said. "Most demigods, if they use a cell phone, it's like sending up a** **signal, letting monsters know where you are. But... I've got one."**

Athena looked at Annabeth in shock.

_Does she realize how dangerous that is?_  Athena asked. She knew the answer, of course. She just hoped Annabeth had gotten a phone in order to remain having contact with her father, and not to call Percy's house. _  
_

As if having similar thoughts, Aphrodite gave strained laugh.

"What's the phone for? Your boyfriend?" she said with a squeal, but her voice didn't carry as much enthusiasm as did before.

Annabeth chose to ignore her.

**She slipped it out of her pocket. "Kind of against the rules, but if it can be our secret..." Piper took it gratefully, trying not to let her hands shake. She stepped away from Annabeth and turned to face the commons area.**

Leo gave his car another push.

_Eeek. Eeek._

Leo cried out in surprise when a bolt of lightening viciously attacked the little car, reducing it to a pile of ash.

Leo looked back at Zeus in disbelief. 

Zeus' face showed no emotion, with the exception of a small triumphant grin.

Poseidon rolled his eyes at his brother's childish antics.

**....Reluctantly she dialed the other number. Her dad's personal assistant answered immediately. "Mr. McLean's office."**

**"Jane," Piper said, gritting her teeth. "Where's my dad?"**

**Jane was silent for a moment, probably wondering if she could get away with hanging up.**

Percy frowned. This Jane character was beginning to remind him of a certain Ugliano statue.

**...."Maybe I'm not at school," Piper said. "Maybe I ran away to live among the woodland creatures."**

Everyone laughed.

**"Mmm." Jane didn't sound concerned. "Well, I'll tell him you called."**

**"Where is he?"**

**"Out."**

"Would it kill you to be anymore specific." Aphrodite grumbled with a scowl. 

**"You don't know, do you?" Piper lowered her voice, hoping Annabeth was too nice to eavesdrop....** **"I have to go, Piper," Jane snapped. "Enjoy school."**

**The line went dead.**

Aphrodite felt her eye twitch.  _Really?_

Percy scowled.

_What a Hera move._ Thalia thought, crossing her arms.

**Piper cursed. She walked back to Annabeth and handed her the phone....** **Piper didn't answer. She didn't trust herself not to start crying again.**

_She's marrying a blobfish._ the goddess decided.  _A big **ugly**  blobfish._

Aphrodite began to furiously file her nails.

**Annabeth glanced at the phone display and hesitated.**

**"Your last name is McLean? Sorry, it's not my business. But sounds really familiar."**

"It does sound familiar now that I think about it." Annabeth said, wondering where had she heard of it before.

**"Common name."**

"It's not that common." Katie argued. 

**"Yeah, I guess. What does your dad do?"**  
  
**"He's got a degree in the arts," Piper said automatically. "He's a Cherokee artist."**

**....Piper thought she'd blown it: McLean, Greek mythology.**

" _Oh_!" Connor exclaimed, nudging his brother.

Travis gave him a confused look.

"You know who her dad is?" he asked skeptically.

Connor rolled his eyes.

"Duh, it's obvious." Connor said before whispering. "Remember the pirated DVD we were going to get?"

"Yeah, what about-" Travis' eyes widened. " _Ooooh_!"

"You two know who it is?" Annabeth, who still didn't know, asked. *

"Of course we do!" Travis bragged.

"Yeah!" Connor chimed in. "It's not rocket science."

"How could you know before Annabeth?" asked Chris in disbelief.

"I don't know," With a smirk, Travis shrugged. "Maybe she's thinking about it too hard."

"Or not enough." Connor smugly added.

Annabeth scowled.

**Thankfully, Annabeth didn't seem to make the connection.**

Annoyed, Annabeth thought long and hard about who it could be, but couldn't connect the dots. 

**"Anyway," Annabeth continued, "Artemis is goddess of the moon, goddess of hunting. But no campers. Artemis was an eternal maiden, so she doesn't have any kids."**

**"Oh." That kind of bummed Piper out. She'd always liked the stories of Artemis, and figured she would make a cool mom.**

Artemis smiled at that.

"You're kidding me, right?" Aphrodite deadpanned.  _Even Artemis?!_

**"Well, there _are_  the Hunters of Artemis," Annabeth amended. "They visit sometimes. They're not the children of Artemis, but they're her handmaidens-this band of immortal teenage girls who adventure together and hunt monsters and stuff."**

**Piper perked up. "That sounds cool. They get to be immortal?"**

"Immortality sounds nice, but is it worth giving up your love life?" Aphrodite asked rhetorically, crossing her arms.

"You're kidding, right?" Artemis snorted.

**"Unless they die in combat, or break their vows. Did I mention they swear off boys? No dating-ever. For eternity."**

"It's worth it." Phoebe stated, other hunters nodded in agreement.

"It was the best decision I ever made." Thalia added.

Artemis happily beamed at her hunters, while Aphrodite looked sympathetically at the young girls.

_Poor girls will never experience their first kiss._

**"Oh," Piper said. "Never mind."**

Aphrodite nodded her head in approval. No daughter of hers will ever throw away their lives and join a all girls club for eternity. They knew better than that.

**Annabeth laughed. For a moment she looked almost happy, and Piper thought she'd be a cool friend to hang out with in better times.**

Annabeth smiled at that. Piper was pretty cool too.

**Forget it, Piper reminded herself. You're not going to make any friends here. Not once they find out.**

**They passed the next cabin, Number Ten, which was decorated like a Barbie house with lace curtains, a pink door, and potted carnations in the windows.**

**.... [Piper] "Gah, is that where supermodels go to die?"**

Artemis and her hunters laughed, ignoring the heated glare from Drew.

" _What?!_ " Aphrodite gasped. "How can she not like Cabin Ten? It's so cute!"

"Could be because of the painful neon pink paint job or because of the overwhelming smell of different perfumes, I'm not sure." Artemis said in mock innocence. 

Her hunters giggled.

**Annabeth smirked. "Aphrodite's cabin. Goddess of love. Drew's the head counselor."**

**"Figures," Piper grumbled.**

Aphrodite frowned.

"What's  _that_ supposed to mean?" Drew said, glaring daggers at the book.

**"They're not all bad," Annabeth said. "The last head counselor was great."**

Drew snorted and rolled her eyes.

Aphrodite gave Annabeth a grateful look.

A couple people nodded their heads in agreement.

**....She wondered if she could be the daughter of Demeter, the farming goddess. Then again, Piper killed every plant she ever touched.**

"Definitely not mine." Demeter said with a huff.

**Athena was cool.**

Aphrodite scowled.  _I can be cool too! I'm the goddess of love! What's more cooler than that?_

**Or maybe Hecate, the magic goddess.**

_Oh puh-lease. What does that traitor got that I don't._ Aphrodite thought dismissively.

**But it didn't really matter. Even here, where everyone was supposed to find a lost parent, she knew she would still end up the unwanted kid....**

_Don't think like that, sweetie._ the goddess winced.  _Maybe I should've claimed her sooner..._

**"We started with the twelve Olympian gods," Annabeth explained. "Male gods on the left, female on the right. Then last year, we added a whole bunch of new cabins for the other gods who didn't have thrones on Olympus-Hecate, Hades, Iris-"**

**....Piper headed that way, and Annabeth followed, though she didn't act very excited. The Zeus cabin reminded Piper of a bank.**

_It's as comfortable as one too._  Thalia thought with a frown. The giant statue of her father didn't help make it more cozy either.

**....Unlike the other cabins, which were all noisy and open and full of activity, the Zeus and Hera cabins looked closed and silent.**

"As it should be." Hera sighed with content.  _If only that pact actually worked._

**"Are they empty?" Piper asked.**

**Annabeth nodded. "Zeus went a long time without having any children. Well, mostly. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, the eldest brothers among the gods-they're called the Big Three. Their kids are really powerful, really dangerous. For the last seventy years or so, they tried to avoid having demigod children."**

**"Tried to avoid it?"**

**"Sometimes they...um, cheated.**

" **I**  cheated." Hades corrected. " ** _They_** ," the god of the Underworld jerked his thumb to his brothers. "completely broke the pact between us."

Poseidon sheepishly smiled, while Zeus huffed.

"Always over dramatic..." Zeus rolled his eyes.

Leo fidgeted.

_If I have to wait any longer, I swear..._ he trailed off.

Leo looked at Katie and willed her to read faster.

**I've got a friend, Thalia Grace, who's the daughter of Zeus. But she gave up camp life and became a Hunter of Artemis. My boyfriend, Percy, he's a son of Poseidon. And there's a kid who shows up sometimes, Nico-son of Hades. Except for them, there are no demigod children of Big Three gods. At least, not that we know of."**

Thalia, Leo, and Zeus instantly thought of Jason.

**"And Hera?"**

Hera laughed.

"I would  ** _never ever_** stoop so low as cheating my husband." she sent a meaningful glare in Zeus' direction.

Zeus didn't even look fazed.

**Piper looked at the peacock decorated doors. The cabin bothered her, though she wasn't sure why.**

**...."You don't like her," Piper noticed**.

**"We have a long history," Annabeth admitted.**

_Bet my long history is longer than hers._ Leo thought with a strained smile. His twitching hands temporarily occupied themselves by fiddling with his jacket's buttons.

**"I thought we'd made peace, but when Percy disappeared... I got this weird dream vision from her."**

Annabeth looked shocked. Out of all the people, she never thought Hera would help her.

"Maybe Hera had something to do with Percy's disappearance." Thalia suggested, not believing for a second Hera was helping from the goodness of her heart.

**"Telling you to come get us." Piper said. "But you thought Percy would be there."**

**"It's probably better I don't talk about it," Annabeth said. "I've got nothing good to say about Hera right now."**

_Since when have I ever?_  Annabeth silently asked.

**Piper looked down at the base of the doors. "So who goes in here?"**

**....Annabeth stepped back. "Um, Piper, I don't think we should-"**

**"We're supposed to do dangerous stuff, right?"** **And Piper walked inside.**

_You're not supposed to do dangerous stuff willingly! _Aphrodite thought.

**Hera's cabin was not someplace Piper would want to live. It was cold as a freezer, with a circle of white columns around a central statue of the goddess, ten feet tall, seated on the throne in the flowing golden robes...** **Her face smiled, but the eyes were cold and calculating, as if she were saying: _Mother knows best. Now don't cross me or I will have to step on you._**

"Sounds like the real Hera." Annabeth muttered.

**There was nothing else in the cabin-no beds, no furniture, no bathroom, no windows, nothing that anyone could actually use to live. For a goddess of home and marriage, Hera's place reminded Piper of a tomb.**

Hera huffed at that. "This is just a honorary cabin, no one is actually supposed to live there."

**No, this wasn't her mom.**

"Of course not!" Hera said, looking horrified.

"Is having a child out of wedlock really that big of a deal?" Aphrodite rolled her eyes.

**....She froze. They weren't alone. Behind the statue, at a little altar in the back, stood a figure covered in a black shawl. Only her hands were visible, palms up. She seemed to be chanting something like a spell or a prayer.**

**Annabeth gasped. "Rachel?"**

Annabeth raised a eyebrow in surprise.  _Rachel's the Oracle?_

**The other girl turned...."** **Hey!" She ran to give Annabeth a hug. "I'm so sorry! I came as fast as I could."**

**They talked for a few minutes about Annabeth's boyfriend and how there was no news, etcetera, until finally Annabeth remembered Piper, who was standing there feeling uncomfortable.**

**"I'm being rude," Annabeth apologized. "Rachel, this is Piper, one of the half-bloods we rescued today. Piper, this is Rachel Elizabeth Dare, our oracle."**

"Yes! We finally got rid of that creepy mummy!" Connor cheered high-fiving his brother.

Percy sighed with relief, also glad the mummy was long gone. A fortune-telling corpse was definitely not something he wanted to meet before going on another deadly quest.

Apollo beamed.

"All right! I got a new Oracle!"

**Rachel grinned. "That's me."**

**"So you're an oracle?" Piper asked. "You can tell the future?"**

**"More like the future mugs me from time to time," Rachel said. "I speak prophecies. The oracle's spirit kind of hijacks me every once in a while and speaks important stuff that doesn't make any sense to anybody. But yeah, the prophecies tell the future."**

"I like this Oracle!" Travis admitted with a laugh.

"She's definitely more friendly than the last one." Katie agreed .

Leo impatiently tapped his shoe.

**"Oh." Piper shifted from foot to foot. "That's cool."**

**Rachel laughed. "Don't worry. Everybody finds it a little creepy. Even me. But usually I'm harmless."**

**...Rachel's smile faded. She glanced at Annabeth, then back at Piper. "Just a hunch. Something about this cabin and Percy's disappearance. They're connected somehow.**

Thalia nodded.  _I knew it._

Annabeth and Poseidon narrowed their eyes in suspicion at Hera.

Hera glared back at the demigod, silently daring her to voice her accusations.

**I've learned to follow my hunches, especially the last month, since the gods went silent."**

"What!" the demigods exclaimed in surprise.

"You all swore on the River of Styx not to ignore your children!" Furious Percy exclaimed.

"Actually," Zeus began. "we promised to  _claim_  all our children. We didn't promise to be attached to the hip with them. Believe it or not, Percy Jackson, but as gods we are constantly busy. We can't always be there for our children."

"Busy doing what?" Percy muttered. "Having pointless arguments and sleeping around with other humans?"

Luckily, Zeus did not hear him.

Leo drew a small island with a dancing hula girl on Grover's chin.

"Food..." Grover groaned, abruptly turned his face, ruining the already horrible looking picture.

**...."Annabeth was redesigning Olympus after it was damaged in the Titan War," Rachel explained. "She's an amazing architect. You should see the salad bar-"**

Normally Annabeth would have been ecstatic hearing this, however, she was more focused about why the gods went silent.

With a frown, Athena crossed her arms. If they suddenly went silent, something life threatening to even immortals, such as themselves, must be happening.

_Either that, or Father is still angry about Percy's refusal._

Athena sighed, hoping it was the second idea. With a lot of persuasion, she could convince her father to end their silence.

**"Anyway," Annabeth said, "starting about a month ago, Olympus fell silent. The entrance closed, and no one could get in. Nobody knows why. It's like the gods have sealed themselves off. Even my mom won't answer my prayers, and our camp director, Dionysus, was recalled."**

"Well," Dionysus smiled (causing a couple demigods to shudder). "At least some good came out of the situation."

**"Your camp director was the god of... wine?"**

**"Yeah, it's a-"**

**"Long story," Piper guessed. "Right. Go on."**

"Trust me, it's not as exciting as you think it is." Dionysus flipped a page in his magazine.

**"That's it, really," Annabeth said. "Demigods still get claimed, but nothing else. No messages. No visits. No sign the gods are even listening.**

"That's the best they can do?" Percy scowled.

**It's like something has happened-something really bad. Then Percy disappeared."**

**..."Right," Annabeth said. "The first communication from a god in a month, and it's Hera, the least helpful goddess,**

Hera made a mental note to have a few cows leave some... 'surprises' for Annabeth later.

**and she contacts me, her least favorite demigod. She tells me I'll find out what happened to Percy if I go to the Grand Canyon skywalk and look for a guy with one shoe. Instead, I find you guys, and the guy with one shoe is Jason. It doesn't make sense."**

**"Something bad is happening," Rachel agreed. She looked at Piper, and Piper felt an overwhelming desire to tell them about her dream, to confess that she knew what was happening-at least part of the story. And the bad stuff was only beginning.**

_Please do._ Aphrodite silently pleaded.

**"Guys," she said.**

Aphrodite sighed with relief, happy that Piper will tell the girls about her dream.

_Hopefully they'll find a way to save Tristan._

**"I-I need to-"**

**Before she could continue, Rachel's body stiffened.**

_Seriously! The Oracle decides now's the time to speak a prophecy!_  Aphrodite scowled.

**Her eyes began to glow with a greenish light, and she grabbed Piper by the shoulders.**

**Piper tried to back away, but Rachel's hands were like steel clamps.**

**_Free me,_ she said. But it wasn't Rachel's voice. It sounded like an older woman, speaking from somewhere far away, down a long, echoing pipe.  _Free me, Piper McLean, or the earth shall swallow us. It must be by the solstice._**

_The earth shall swallow us?_ Athena gasped, eyes widening, resembling owl's.  _Oh no._

**The room started spinning. Annabeth tried to separate Piper from Rachel, but it was no use...The statue's mouth opened, its breath like horribly thick perfume. It spoke in the same echoing voice: _Our enemies stir. The fiery one is only the first. Bow to his will, and their king shall rise, dooming us all. FREE ME!_**

"That is obviously not a prophecy." Apollo stated. "Someone has just spoke through my Oracle."

Apollo couldn't stop the fondness from being heard when he mentioned his Oracle.

"It has to be me." Hera said, chewing her lip. "I'm somehow trapped somewhere and am contacting Piper for help."

"Whoever kidnapped you might be the one called 'the fiery one'." Percy reported.

"They might also have something to do with Piper's dreams." Will added.

**Piper's knees buckled, and everything went black.**

"Done!" Leo reached over and closed the book on Katie's lap, purposely making her lose her place in the book.

"Hey!" Katie exclaimed.

Standing up, Leo bounced in excitement.

"It's okay Katie, we'll find our place in the book again later." Leo said cheerfully.

_Not!_

"Right now it's time for a break! I'm in the mood for some pizza, or ice cream, or a hot dog with mustard and relish!"

Truthfully, Leo was not hungry, but he had to keep up the act if he wanted his plan to work.

"Those foods are fattening!" Demeter scolded. "If you keep eating like that, you'll end up looking like rolie polie or be a constant miserable grump like _**Hades**_."

"Persephone  _loves_ constant miserable grumps!" Hades snapped.

"Shut up!" Demeter snapped back.

"Anyway," Demeter huffed before casting a motherly smile in Leo's direction. "if you want to grow up and become a respectable young man, I suggest you eat cereal."

"Oh. Yeah. Sure, I love cereal." Leo said, unaware of what he got himself into.

Hades shook his head sympathetically.

Meanwhile Katie covered her blushing face with her hands. Why did she have the woman addicted to cereal for a mother?

Demeter's face lit up like a candle.

"Really?" she asked.

"Ummm..." Leo hesitated, not liking how the goddess was looking at him. " _Yeee-aaah_ , I can't get enough of it."

If possible, Demeter's smile grew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *~ Honestly, I think Annabeth is smart. But I don't think she would really a movie fanatic.


	6. Leo V

Despite his inner Cal screaming at him to destroy the books once and for all, Leo allowed himself to be shepherded along with the others into the dinning room.

He knew if he wanted his plan to be successful, he would have to act as normal as he possibly could.

 _Easier said then done._ Leo frowned.

As he walked down the hall, he made sure to have every detail of the twisting and turning hallway forever burned in his mind like the tattoo branded on Jason's arm.

 _I can't screw this up._ he thought with determination, momentarily stopping to look at a old vase.

If he hadn't been examining each one of the Greek pottery, he would have easily missed the black vase. Surprisingly, the vase was in perfect condition, it wasn't even chipped. The vase depicted a familiar goddess of revenge pointing a disapproving finger over one woman's shoulder at another chatting with Aphrodite. *

Apparently he and Narcissus were not the only lives Nemesis decided to majorly screw up.

Leo wasn't sure how he should honestly feel about that.

He suddenly stumbled when he was pushed from behind.

"You know," Phoebe said behind him, wiping her hands furiously against her camo pants ( _What? Does she still believe in cooties?_ Leo thought dryly). "for someone who was is  _so_ hungry, you sure are taking your sweet time walking to the dining room."

Before Leo could defend himself, he felt his arm intertwine with another.

"The huntress is right, dear." Demeter cooed, dragging the demigod along with her. "You can look at the art later. Right now, let's go eat some cereal."

"But-" Leo began, struggling to regain his footing, only to land back flat on his butt.

Connor laughed at the sight.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out an Iphone he had 'forgotten' to return to a sleeping jogger during the war** and began to snap pictures.

"Hey!" the son of Hermes protested, reaching up to take his phone back from Ares.

But he was helpless to do anything but watch in horror as the smirking god snapped it in half before handing it back to him.

"Dude! What the Hades!"

Hades glared at the oblivious Connor, who was busy mourning over the recent death of his first phone.

Watching the scene, Travis wisely kept his 'burrowed' phones in his pockets.

Looking over her shoulder, Demeter called.

"Come on, Katie."

"Huh?!" exclaimed Katie.

Demeter made a unladylike snort.

"You really didn't think I was going let you eat that  ** _junk_** , did you?"

"Mom, I've been eating that 'junk' for years!"

"Well it's time for a change." the goddess huffed, slowing her pace a bit so her daughter could catch up with her. Demeter made a mental note to have a little 'chat' with Katie's father and Chiron later.

* * *

Leo resisted the strong urge to bang his head repeatedly on the table.

Katie inwardly groaned as her cheerful mother continued blabbing.

Oblivious to her bored audience, Demeter, with a dreamy look on her face, continued chatting.

"-I used to take her out into the garden and watch her play. She looked so cute when she would roll around in the grass and pick flowers. I remember once, she had given me a daisy. The daisy was wilted and missing all of its petals except one, but it was the best gift I have ever received."

Demeter sighed with bliss.

Leo stirred the almond milk in his bowl with his finger, wondering what he did to deserve this.

"Those were the good centuries." Demeter smiled.

Suddenly her sunny expression darkened.

The two teens jumped in surprise when the woman's fists hit the table.

"But then, one horrible day, I turn my back for one minute,  ** _only a minute_** , and my little flower was gone."

One look at her murderous expression had Leo scooting his chair away.

"Imagine my horror, when I discovered my precious daughter was gone. Imagine my  **shock** , when I discovered she was taken, no,  _ **abducted**_. Imagine my anger, when I discovered my child had been kidnapped, taken against her will, by  **Hades**! My own brother had stolen Persephone when she was most vulnerable. You would think someone like Hermes would do that!"

"Hey!" Hermes, sitting on the other side of the room, objected. "I may be a bit klepto, but I'm not a child snatcher. No offense Uncle Hades." he added seeing the furious look being sent in his direction.

"I'm sorry Hermes, that was uncalled for." Demeter said sincerely. "I could understand your anger. I would be offended too, if I was compared to  _ **Hades**_!"

"And I would have sent them to the Fields of Punishment before they could even blink if anybody dared ever compared me to you." Hades retorted.

"Shut up! Nobody was talking to you!" Demeter snapped before turning back to Katie and Leo.

She blinked as if she just saw them for the first time.

"Why haven't you two eaten your cereal? It's soggy now."

"Mom, I've been trying to tell you, we can't. You forgot to bring spoons for everybody but yourself."

Demeter looked down at the table and discovered Katie was right.

"Oh dear!" she exclaimed, slapping her forehead. "I'll go get them right now."

Abruptly standing up, she made a beeline to the kitchen.

Katie released a long sigh as she watched her friends at the other side of the room laugh and tell jokes.

Leo, sitting across from her at the small table, didn't bother to stop his legs from swinging back and forth.

His hand would frequently brush his hair back, as he looked over his shoulder at the hallway leading to the throne room.

" _Ouch!_ " Katie exclaimed suddenly.

Rubbing her shin, she gave Leo a glare.

"Watch where you're kicking!" she scolded.

"Oh! Sorry!" Leo apologized, forcing himself to turn his attention to Katie.

"Just don't do it again." Katie warned, not noticing Travis' side way glance.

Silence fell between them.

Leo drew figure eights on the white tablecloth.

After a long period of time, Katie finally sighed.

"Look, it's okay to be nervous."

With a confused frown, Leo looked up from the table.

"Huh?"

"With us reading your thoughts," Katie clarified. "It's okay to feel uncomfortable with the idea of people reading into your most deepest thoughts. But we need to read them."

"Yeah right. Easy for you to say." the son of Hephaestus said with a bitter laugh.

"No, really. Think about it." Katie insisted. "If we read this book and the other two, we might find a way to prevent the war from even starting or least prevent a lot of people from dying. I've just came out of one war, Leo. I've seen some of my siblings and closest friends die by the hands of monsters. The last thing I want to do is go into another war that can be ten times worse."

Katie reached over and squeezed his twitching hand in a way that was meant for comfort.

Neither noticing Travis flat out staring at them.

"I can't say I know how you feel, because I don't. But if you ever feel you need someone to talk to, I'm willing to listen. Okay?"

Shocked by the surprisingly thoughtful gesture, Leo slowly nodded.

"Um... Yeah.... Thanks..." he said, returning his gaze back to the table.

Seeing the boy needed time to think, Katie released his hand and returned her gaze to her friends.

She raised a eyebrow and mouthed 'what' when she saw Travis eyeing her.

Said boy just stuck his tongue out at her before looking away.

Katie scowled.

When the two started bickering, Leo saw his chance to leave. As casually as he could, he slowly got up and made his way to the hallway. 

He was just at the doorway, when suddenly...

"Where are you going?"

The teen froze in mid-step.

 _Damn it._ he cursed.

He turned and looked as innocent as possible.

"Just heading the bathroom." Leo told the daughter of Athena with a shrug. He looked everywhere but her face.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow at his weird behavior. 

"You know where you're going?" 

 "Yup! Don't worry about me, I'll find it." Leo assured with a smile, trying not to look too impatient.

Unfortunately, Annabeth didn't seem ready to leave him alone.

"If you know where it is, then why are you going the wrong way?" she pointed out.

Leo faltered.  _Why is she asking me questions?_

"I knew that! I just needed to... stretch my legs, walk around a bit, ya' know? It's not everyday you get to be in Mount  _freaking_ Olympus, am I right?" he was rambling at this point, his eyes darted around the room until he spotted the son of Poseidon heading toward them. " _Welp_. I guess I'll be going! Hi Percy!"

Annabeth barely had time to turn her head before he bolted down the hallway. 

"Hey wait!" she called, but he kept running.

"Annabeth..." 

Said girl felt her heart leap to her throat at the sound of Percy's voice behind her. Schooling her features, she took a deep breath and turned to face him.

She couldn't help but relax after seeing how nervous the teen looked. Poor Percy looked like he was taking a test he didn't study for.

"C-Can we..." he winced at the crack in his voice. Annabeth watched him take a deep breath before starting over again. "Can we talk?" 

Having a feeling about what he meant, Annabeth gulped and nodded her head. The room suddenly went quiet (no doubt because of everyone listening in).

"When I was at the River Styx, turning invulnerable... Nico said I had to concentrate on one thing that kept me anchored to the world, that made me want to stay mortal." Percy began. "Then, when they wanted to make me a god and stuff, I kept thinking-"

"Oh, you so wanted to." Annabeth teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"Well, maybe a little." he admitted with a small smile. "But I didn't, because I thought- I didn't want things to stay the same for eternity, because things could always get better. And I was thinking..." Percy trailed off and looked down at his shoes.

"Anyone in particular?" Annabeth asked in mock innocence. 

"You know who..." Percy grinned shyly, forcing himself to look into her stormy grey eyes.

"I know," Annabeth smiled back, she felt her face turning warm. She hesitated, before putting her arms around his neck. "But I want you to say it."

If possible, Percy's face turned redder. 

"Um... Okay!" he squeaked, before nervously swallowing. "Annabeth, I've had a crush on you since...  _forever_! So will you go out with me... Please?"

Annabeth smiled warmly before leaning over and kissing him.

When the couple broke apart, the dining room broke into loud cheering and shrill squealing (courtesy of Aphrodite).

"It's about time!" Clarisse shouted over the noise.

"Oh, come on!" Percy complained. "Is there no privacy?"

Annabeth laughed. She was so caught up in the moment, she completely forgot about Leo's weird behavior.

* * *

Like always, Leo ran away. 

If he was lucky, everyone would be too busy with Percy and Annabeth's love life to know he was missing. If not well...

 _Let's not think about that._ Leo told himself before his thoughts drifted to what Katie said earlier.

If they read his thoughts, he could save lives, the war could be prevented before it even started.

He slowed his pace down a bit.

Leo thought about his last demigod dream; Camp Half-Blood, the only place after his mother's death he called home, in ruins and the countless bodies of both Roman and Greek demigods laying in on the ground.

Could he really prevent that from happening just by sharing his most personal thoughts?

 _Don't be stupid! There's no way it can be that easy!_ he scolded himself.  _We can't trust someone like Nemesis. Her motive doesn't even make any sense. Why would she go this far to help us, especially the gods. Doesn't she hate them? I don't know why she wants them to know, but something's not right about this..._

With that in mind, he entered into the throne room.

He scooped up the Lost Hero and two other books abandoned by Zeus' throne.

Not wanting to risk one of the gods' thrones catching on fire, he carelessly tossed the hard cover books in the center of the room

Struggling to calm himself down ( _You need to do this. Stop wasting time!_ ), Leo reached into his tool belt and pulled out a small glass bottle of gasoline.

After opening the bottle, he hesitated, thinking about Katie's words again.

 _They're not going to learn anything from my thoughts. Besides, the future's not that bad... kinda... we don't need this. _Leo thought, nodding to himself.

He then gently tipped the bottle to it's side and poured the liquid all over the books.

Not satisfied with the small amount on them, he turned the bottle over, soaking the books in gasoline.

Before he or anyone else could talk himself out of it, he quickly set the books on fire.

He took four steps back as the fire quickly began to spread.

Watching the books burn in the flames, Leo felt like a massive weight had just been taken off his shoulders. Usually the sight of a roaring fire would leave a bad taste in his mouth, but as he saw those books burn page by page, Leo couldn't help but loudly exclaim:

"YES!"

He immediately covered his mouth, eyes darting around the room.

Seeing nobody, he slowly pulled his hands away from his mouth, unsure he would be able to contain his excitement.

"Phase one complete." Leo said to himself in a hushed whisper.

Smile growing wider, Leo added. "Now for Phase two."

He didn't notice of the fortune cookie materializing by his shoe as he cupped his hands over his mouth.

" _OH GODS_! SOMEBODY HELP ME!!" Leo yelled at the top of his lungs.

It didn't take long before everyone swarmed into the throne room, weapons drawn. 

Eyes widened in shock at the sight of the growing fire and Leo Valdez frantically fanning his hands in a effort to put the hot flames out.

"SOMEBODY HELP ME PUT OUT THE FIRE!" exclaimed Leo Valdez, biting back a large smile.  _Geez, I deserve some type  of Emmy._ He briefly considered taking off his shirt and smothering the fire, but immediately discarded the idea. Too realistic.

"Stop, drop, and roll!" Will shouted, snapping the other boy out of his thoughts.

"What?" Leo asked, baffled.

"Your hand's on fire!" Nico explained, visibly paling at the sight of burning flesh.

Leo looked down at his right hand. Sure enough, his hand was bathed in fire.

"Oh." Leo simply said, much to everyone's (except his father's) surprise. He was just about to ask 'So?' when he realized unless he was a human cigarette lighter (which, as far as the others knew, he wasn't) this should hurt. Badly.

Mentally kicking himself for his stupid mistake, Leo quickly corrected himself.

"Oh!" Leo repeated with more surprise and, hopefully, pain. He drastically widened his eyes and waved his hand in effort to rid of the fire.

"Get it off! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" Leo yelled, mind racing as he struggled to think of a way to get out of this mess.

Unlike like the others, Hephaestus, with a raised eyebrow, quietly watched his son's act. He knew the fire was not causing his son any pain, so why Leo was pretending afraid of the fire bewildered him.

As some people in the group screamed at Leo to get on the ground and roll around, Percy looked around for a source of water.

Spying Ophiotaurus' aquarium, he hurtled half of the freezing water in the fire's direction.

The force of the water sent Leo crashing onto the hard marble floor.

"Nice shot, son." Poseidon complemented. With a wave of the sea god's hand, the water evaporated and returned to the cow serpent's tank.

Unfortunately, this had little effect on Leo who was soaked from head to toe.

Spitting out the sea water that manged to slip into his mouth, Leo brushed stray wet hair out of his face.

"Thanks Percy, I needed a shower." Leo said with a smile. Despite being wet and cold, he couldn't bring himself to be mad at the older boy. He was just trying to do the right thing.

_Besides, now that those stupid books are gone, I've got nothing to worry about._

Leo's smile grew at the thought.

The smile faded when he was examined by a pair of grey eyes.

"Where did that fire come from?" Athena asked hands on her hips.

Saying the first thing that came to mind, Leo replied.

"I don't know. I was looking for the bathroom and then I suddenly smelled-"

"Smelt." Athena automatically corrected.

"Smelt," Leo repeated, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes. "smoke. When I went to go see where it was coming from, I found the books on fire."

Leo mentally nodded. His story sounded reasonable enough.

"Are you sure that's it?" Annabeth pressed.

"Yes." Leo was proud of himself for not making the slightest flinch when staring directly in the girl's eyes.

He then stood up and wrung out his shirt.

As he looked down, he frowned when spotting the fortune cookie.

Picking it up he was almost afraid to open it, but he knew he needed to read it.

Leo cracked the cookie open and read it to himself.

_Some things are just too predictable. Lucky Numbers: 5, 6, 11, 12-_

He crumpled up the small slip of paper.  _What's that supposed to mean._

His question was answered by Chris' astonished cry.

"The books are okay!"

"WHAT?" Leo exclaimed before he could stop himself. Looking over his shoulder, his jaw dropped at the sight of the still existing Lost Hero in Chris' hand.

The book resembled a lump of coal, but was otherwise still readable.

Leo cursed under his breath. Of  _course,_ of  _course_ the goddess would have the books fire resistant.

"How is that even possible?" Percy asked in disbelief.

Thalia took the book out of Chris' hand and suddenly frowned.

"A better question would be why does this book smell like gasoline." she threw a suspicious glance in Leo's direction.

"Are you sure you had nothing to do with this, Leo?"

Leo gave her a innocent look in return.

"Positive."

Thalia opened her mouth to comment but Hermes beat her to it.

"Look, accusing each other won't solve who tried to burn the books." he said, Leo nodded along with him. "The important thing is they failed and we still have a chance of saving the future."

"He's right, let's just read this and get it over with." Dionysus injected.

Leo chewed his lip, as much as he wanted to protest, he didn't want to draw any more negative attention then he already had. So he reluctantly remained silent.

Once everyone was seated, Thalia held out the book.

"Does anybody want to read?"

"Why don't you read, Thalia? You haven't read yet." Katie suggested.

"Maybe later, but I'm not interested in reading Leo's thoughts." Thalia replied with a look of disgust.

 _That makes two of us._ Leo thought.

"I'll read!" Connor volunteered with too much enthusiasm for Leo's liking.

Taking the book, Connor flipped the pages until he was on the right page.

Connor flashed Leo a mischievous smile before he began to read.

" **Leo V** ," Connor read out loud.

Leo played with the loose string on his coat, pretending he was anywhere but here.

**Leo's Tour Was Going Great Until he learned about the dragon.**

"You mean Peleus?"*** Annabeth asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What, are you afraid of dragons?" Clarisse said with a snort.

Looking up from the loose string, Leo smiled.

"No way! Dragons are the coolest."

Annabeth frowned when she realized Leo was completely ignoring her question.

" **The archer dude, Will Solace,** **seemed pretty cool.**

Will smiled at that.

"Right back atcha!" he said brightly.

**Everything he showed Leo was so amazing, it should have been illegal.**

"Mostly everything that's amazing is illegal." Travis explained to Leo.

"Yeah," Connor added. "Like taking things that aren't yours."

Katie glared at them.

"Don't listen to them, they're just trying to get you in trouble." the daughter of Demeter warned him.

Leo absentmindedly nodded. He gave his string a firm tug, snapping it off his coat.

**Real Greek warships moored at the beach that sometimes had practice fights with flaming arrows and explosives?...Leo was like, _Sign me up_! The woods were stocked with dangerous monsters, and no one should ever go in there alone? Nice!**

Some people laughed, while others stared at Leo with mild concern.

 _So far, so good._ Leo thought, tying knots on his string.

Percy grinned.

"Are you sure he doesn't remind you of anybody?" Percy asked Nico, who managed to squeeze himself in between him and Annabeth (much to the couple's annoyance).

"I'm sure, Percy." Nico deadpanned.

**And the camp was overflowing with fine-looking girls. Leo didn't quite understand the whole related-to-the-gods business, but he hoped that didn't mean he was cousins with all these ladies. That would suck.**

"Behold, the typical thoughts of a boy." Phoebe muttered to another huntress.

Said huntress snorted.

"Nope, you're good." Chris replied, looking amused. 

**At very least, he wanted to check out those underwater girls in the lake again. They were definitely worth drowning for.**

Artemis and a couple of her hunters rolled their eyes, while Connor gave Leo a approving nod.

"Hard to believe this was the same kid who nearly had a panic attack after being claimed." Apollo chuckled.

**Will showed him the cabins, the dining pavilion, and the sword area.**

**"Do I get a sword?" Leo asked.**

Hephaestus paled at that idea.

"Absolutely not." the god sternly said, looking horrified.

Brushing his hair back, Leo rolled his eyes.

"Com'on Hephaestus, first the gun, now a  _sword_? That's a classic demigod weapon!" he argued. "If I can't use a sword, what kind of demigod would I be?" 

"Piper and I don't have swords." Annabeth pointed out.

"Yeah, but you guys have  _weapons_. I don't have anything." Leo complained. "What am I supposed to use?"

"How about you just stick with your breath mints?" Katie suggested with a giggle.

"Gee, thanks!" he responded in mock offense before muttering: "I could use a sword if I wanted to." 

**Will glanced at him like he found the idea disturbing.**

"Et tu, Will?" Leo said sadly, dramatically putting a hand over his heart.

"Sorry, I can't imagine you using a sword without cutting your arm off." Will shrugged unsympathetically. 

**..."Usually, we don't call the gods by their Roman names," Will said. "The original names are Greek. Your dad is Hephaestus."**

**"Festus?" Leo had heard somebody say that before, but he was still dismayed. "Sounds like the god of cowboys."**

Surprisingly, Hephaestus laughed at this along with the others.

"Did you seriously just reference Festus Haggen from Gunsmoke?" Thalia, trying to hide her smile, asked. ****

Leo smiled sheepishly. "I couldn't have been the only one who thought of it, right?"

"I don't even know what reference you guys are talking about, I was just laughing at the god of cowboys joke." Percy admitted with a smile.

"Com'on it's not that old for nobody to get it. Haven't you ever seen a Western show." Thalia rolled her eyes.

**"He-phaestus," Will corrected. "God of blacksmiths and fire."**

**Leo had heard that too, but he was trying not to think about it. The god of fire...seriously? Considering what had happened to his mom, that seemed like a sick joke.**

Hephaestus abruptly stopped laughing and grimaced. The demigods fell into stunned silence.

Leo looked up at the ceiling, purposely avoiding the surprised looks from the readers.

Connor blinked slowly in shock, definitely not expecting that to come out of Leo's thoughts.

"Did you read that correctly?" Will asked, although he knew Connor could the Ancient Greek as good as any other demigod.

"I did." Connor confirmed,looking at Leo with concern.

Noticing people were still looking at him, Leo immediately tried to wave off like it was no big deal.

"Hey, it's just a negative thought. So what? I'm a human being (well... half human being). I sometimes think negative, it's just normal teenage angst. Nothing special."

**"So the flaming hammer over my head," Leo said. "Good thing or bad thing?"**

"Well," Percy began."You got claimed. That's always a good thing, considering demigods would almost never got claimed before."

He gave the gods a meaningful look.

**..."But that Rainbow Pony dude, Butch-he mentioned a curse."**

Hephaestus frowned at the reminder.

**"Ah...look, it's nothing. Since Cabin Nine's last head counselor died-"**

Percy winced at that.

Hephaestus sadly sighed at that.

**"Died? Like, painfully?"**

"How else can a demigod die, Leo?" Percy said sarcastically as he glared at him.

"Sorry..." Leo muttered, rubbing his hands against each other. 

**"I ought to let your bunkmates tell you about it."**

**"Yeah, where are my home dawgs?**

"Home dawgs?" Hestia repeated slowly, as if testing out a foreign language. Is that what the 'funky fresh' kids say now a days?

**Shouldn't their counselor be giving me the VIP tour?"**

**....He was halfway across the green when he spotted his old babysitter.**

"What?" Annabeth asked in surprise.

"Why would your babysitter be there?" Chris asked, confused.

Drew, with a snort, rolled her eyes.

"It's obvious the Mist affected his mind like it did to Piper's when she saw Peleus."

**....Tia Callida- Auntie Callida. That's what she'd called herself, but Leo hadn't seen her since he was five years old. She was just standing there, in the shadow of a big white cabin at the end of the green, watching him.**

"Creepy." Travis said with a shudder.  **.**

**..."That old lady..." Leo said. "What's she doing here?"**

**Will tried to follow his gaze. "What old lady?"**

"Maybe it is the Mist." Annabeth said, still unsure.

**...."I think you've had a long day, Leo. The Mist could still be playing tricks on your mind. How about we head straight to your cabin now?"**

**Leo wanted to protest, but when he looked back toward the big white cabin, Tia Callida was gone. He was sure she'd been there, almost as if thinking about his mom had summoned Callida back from the past.**

**And that wasn't good, because Tia Callida had tried to kill him.**

"WHAT!" Hephaestus exclaimed, startling a number of people, including Clovis.

"Coming, Mother!" the half asleep boy cried out before falling back to sleep.

Everyone ignored him.

"What kind of babysitter did you have?" Chris asked in disbelief.

Leo waved it off.

"Is it really that surprising? Yeah, she tried to kill me, but who cares? I'm a demigod! Demigods nearly die all the time. No big deal."

"She sounds like a monster." Thalia stated, looking at Leo for confirmation.

Leo, glancing at Hera, smiled. "She could be, that would explain a lot if she was."

"She sounds more like a Kindly One." Annabeth said.

"I think you might be the closest, Annabeth." Leo replied.

Stifling a laugh at the seething queen of gods, Leo began to twist and bend a copper wire he pulled out of his tool belt.

**"Just messing with you, man." Leo pulled some gears and levers from his pockets and started fiddling with them to calm his nerves. He couldn't have everybody at camp thinking he was crazy.**

"It's a little too late for that." Clarisse grunted.

**At least, not crazier than really was.**

Apollo, Hermes, and the Stoll brothers laughed at this.

**"Let's go see Cabin Nine," he said. "I'm in the mood for a good curse."**

**From the outside, the Hephaestus cabin looked like an oversize RV with shiny metal walls and metal-slatted windows. The entrance was like a bank vault door, circular and several feet thick. It opened with lots of brass gears turning and hydraulic pistons blowing smoke.**

**Leo whistled. "They got a steam punk theme going on, huh?"**

"It's pretty impressive, isn't it." the god of fire couldn't help but smile.

**....At least that's the way Leo would've designed it. A fire pole came down from the second floor,**

"Wait a minute!" Connor paused, shooting Jake Mason a small glare. "You guys got a second floor?"

Jake shrugged. "Yeah, so?"

" _Soooo_ ," Connor empathized. "It never occurred to you that maybe you guys should build us one?"

"Yeah," Travis agreed. "Do you know how cramped it is in the Hermes cabin? If anybody deserves a second floor, it's us."

"Relax guys," Percy said. "As soon as the gods claim all their children like they  _promised,_ I'm sure everyone will have enough breathing space in the Hermes cabin."

"I hope so." Connor said before he continued reading.

**even though the cabin didn't appear to have a second floor from the outside.**

**...The walls were lined with every kind of power tool Leo could imagine, plus a huge assortment of knives, swords, and other implements of destruction. A large workbench overflowed with scrap metal-screws, bolts, washers, nails, rivets, and a million other machine parts. Leo had a strong urge to shovel them all into his coat pockets.**

Leo sighed. He missed Cabin Nine.

**Looking around, he could almost imagine he was back at his mom's machine shop...She would've loved this place.**

"She would've..." Hephaestus muttered with a slight smile.

**He pushed that thought away. He didn't like painful memories. Keep moving- that was his motto. Don't dwell on things. Don't stay in one place too long. It was the only way to stay ahead of the sadness.**

Nico, glancing at Percy then at Annabeth, couldn't help but silently agree with that philosophy.

"You know you can't always run away from your problems. There's going to be a time when you have to face them." Annabeth told Leo, gripping her necklace.

Leo, bending the copper wire into a zig-zag line, just shrugged. "I guess you're right..."

Nico snorted. Of course she would say that.

**....At the back of the room, one of the bunk beds was occupied. A curtain of dark camouflage material retracted, and Leo could see the guy who'd been invisible a second before. It was hard to tell much about him because he was covered in a body cast. His head was wrapped in gauze except his face, which was puffy and bruised.**

Jake winced in sympathy of his sibling.

_Looks like one of their machines didn't work out as planned._

**He looked like the Philsbury Doughboy after a beat-down.**

Jake scowled at Leo.

"Not funny, Leo."

"Sorry, just being observant." Leo said, straightening his wire.  _It's not like I said that out loud._

**"I'm Jake Mason," the guy said.**

Jake's eyes widened at that as he wondered what happened to himself. Sure he would have injuries here and there because of a machine gone wrong, but he never ended up in a body cast.

 **....** **"Welcome to Cabin Nine," Jake said. "Been almost a year since we had any new kids. I'm head counselor**

Jake grimaced. Apparently, his plan for convincing Nyssa to be head counselor would fail.

**for now."**

**"For now?" Leo asked.**

**Will Solace cleared his throat. "So where is everybody, Jake?"**

**"Down at the forges," Jake said wistfully. "They're working on... you know, that problem."**

The god of fire frowned at that, wanting to know what exactly the 'problem' is.

**....Jake studied Leo, sizing him up. "You believe in curses, Leo? Or ghosts?"**

**I just saw my evil babysitter Tia Callida, Leo thought. She's _got_ to be dead after all these years. And I can't go a day without remembering my mom in that machine shop fire.**

At the mention of the fire, Hephaestus winced.

**Don't talk to me about ghosts, doughboy.**

Leo slowly sighed as his hand brushed his hair back. The other hand released the copper wire in favor of tugging the buttons on his jacket.

He was beginning to understand how a dissected frog would feel: Uncomfortable with the whole situation. Helpless because there was little he could do at the moment to stop this. And finally, angry at his own stupid helplessness and Nemesis for getting him into this mess.

_Why couldn't she let me burn the books?_

"Sorry." Jake said softly, bringing Leo out of his thoughts.

Leo forced himself to smile. "For what?"

Jake shifted, looking as uncomfortable as Leo felt.

"You know, for bringing up... ghosts..."

"Ah, it's alright." Leo said as casually as possible. "It's... nothing. I was just over exaggerating." 

"It didn't sound like that to me." Grover said, sensing the teen's pain.

"Well, I was." Leo insisted, his hand now yanking his jacket's button. "I was just joking."

Judging by the doubtful expressions, he wasn't fooling anybody.

**But aloud, he said, "Ghosts? Pfft. Nah. I'm cool. A storm spirit chucked me down the Grand Canyon this morning, but you know, all in a day's work, right?"**

"See? I'm fine!"

Hephaestus' frown deepened when he was beginning to notice a pattern in Leo's behavior.

**Jake nodded. "That's good. Because I'll give you the best bed in the cabin- Beckendorf's."**

A couple gasps told Leo this was a big deal.

"Isn't it a little too soon." Percy grimaced.

"It is  _now_ , but he has to sleep somewhere." Jake said, not looking to happy with his future self's decision either.

**"Whoa, Jake," Will said. "You sure?"**

**Jake called out: "Bunk 1-A, please."**

**....Leo jumped right in and lay back with his arms behind his head. "I can handle this."**

**"It retracts into a private room below," Jake said.**

**"Oh, heck, yes," Leo said. "See y'all. I'll be down in the Leo Cave..."**

Travis snickered at the name.

... **"Yeah," Jake said. "Charles Beckendorf."**

**Leo imagined saw blades coming through the mattress, or maybe a grenade sewn inside the pillows.**

Jake, rolling his eyes, snorted.

"If those were in the bed, we would've taken it out."

**"He didn't, like, die in this bed, did he?"**

**"No," Jake said. "In the Titan War, last summer."**

**"The Titan War," Leo repeated, "which has nothing to with this very fine bed?"**

Clarisse slapped her forehead.

"Nothing's wrong with the bed." Jake stressed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Okay, I get it now. But can you blame me? You guys were making such a big deal over the Curse of Cabin Nine and the ghost of Charles Beckendorf, I wouldn't have been surprised if you told me that dead counselors were haunting the cabin." Leo defended.

**"The Titans," Will said, like Leo was an idiot. "The big powerful guys that ruled the world before the gods. They tried to make a comeback last summer. Their leader, Kronos, built a new palace on top of Mount Tam in California. Their armies came to New York and almost destroyed Mount Olympus. A lot of demigods died trying to stop them."**

Everyone bowed their heads in memory of those who died in the war before continuing to read.

**"I'm guessing this wasn't on the news?" Leo said.**

Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

"You haven't seen any of the news reports?" Percy asked.

"I don't really watch the news." the son of Hephaestus shrugged. "I was kinda in my own little world when this stuff was happening."

"But you must've heard about something." Annabeth insisted. "The unnatural storms around the country? Mount St. Helens erupting?"

Leo shook his head. "Nope, sorry."

**It seemed like a fair question, but Will shook his head in disbelief. "You didn't hear about Mount St. Helens erupting, or the freak storms across the country, or that building collapsing in St. Louis?"**

"Have you been living under a rock?" Connor teased.

"I was busy." Leo explained, tapping his foot.

"Doing what?" Katie asked.

"You know, the usual." Leo replied, not answering her question. He picked up his copper wire and continued fiddling with it.

**Leo shrugged. Last summer, he'd been on the run from another foster home.**

_Well, so much for keeping that a secret._ Leo scowled.

"...Oh." Will said, breaking the silence. Leo couldn't bring himself to be upset by his reaction. What else do you say to that? 

"Yep." he replied, popping the 'p'.

**Then a truancy officer caught him in New Mexico,**

"Where were you going?" Grover asked.

"I don't know." Leo replied, to be honest, he hadn't really cared where he was going.

**and the court sentenced him to the nearest correctional facility- the Wilderness School. "Guess I was busy."**

**"Doesn't matter," Jake said. "You were lucky to miss it. The thing is, Beckendorf was one of the first casualties, and ever since then-"**

**"Your cabin's been cursed," Leo guessed.**

"Is there any way to break the curse?" Percy asked, saying what was on most of everyone's mind.

**Jake didn't answer. Then again, the dude was in a body cast. That was an answer.**

Jake, avoiding pitying looks, winced at that.

**Leo started noticing little things that he hadn't seen before- an explosion mark on the wall, a stain on the floor that might've been oil... or blood.**

Jake and Hephaestus grimaced.

"It could've been my imagination." Leo tried to assure them.

**Broken swords and smashed machines kicked into corners of the room, maybe out of frustration. The place did feel unlucky.**

"I hope they find a way to break the curse soon." Hestia said worriedly.

**Jake sighed halfheartedly. "Well, I should get some sleep. I hope you like it here, Leo. It used to be... really nice."**

**....As they were leaving, Leo looked back at his new bed, and he could almost imagine a dead counselor sitting there- another ghost who wasn't going to leave Leo alone.**

"Finished." Connor said.

"If it makes you feel better," Nico told the son of Hephaestus. "I highly doubt Beckendorf would haunt you. He's too busy enjoying his time in Elysium."

Leo frowned.

"How do you..." he began, before deciding he'd rather not know. "Thanks Nico."

Nico nodded in response.

"I'm reading next." Travis said, taking the book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *~ This is from a vase of Helene being persuaded by Aphrodite to elope with Paris. Nemesis is pointing over Tyche's (goddess of good fortune) shoulder at the scene, demanding the act to be punished. I got this from internet website theoi. com.
> 
> **~ I think the temptation would be too great for any child of Hermes to resist.
> 
> ***~ Peleus is the dragon guarding the Golden Fleece.
> 
> ****~ I don't know which is worse, the fact that Mr. Riordan excepted a young audience to get this reference or the fact that I got the reference without having to look it up and laughed like a idiot...


	7. Leo VI

" **Leo VI** ," Travis began.

 _Great, just great. As if one chapter in my point of view wasn't enough._ Leo let out a sigh of frustration, drumming his fingers on his leg.

**"How did he die?" Leo asked. "I mean Beckendorf."**

Judging by the dirty looks he was receiving, Leo guessed the former counselor's death was still a sore topic for everyone. 

"Out of all the questions, did you really have to say  _that_ one?" Nico said, glancing at Percy.

**Will Solace trudged ahead. "Explosion. Beckendorf and Percy Jackson blew up a cruise ship of monsters. Beckendorf didn't make it out."**

Percy bit his lip.

"You know Beckendorf doesn't blame you, right." Nico quickly reminded him. "You did the best you could do."

Percy merely nodded.

He looked over when Annabeth grabbed his hand.

"Nico's right. You have nothing to feel guilty about." she told him.

Percy grinned. "Thanks Annabeth."

Nico glared down at his worn out shoes as they were responsible for his troubled love life.

**There was that name again- Percy Jackson, Annabeth's missing boyfriend.**

Nico let out a low growl, which was drowned out by the chorus of  _'oooohs'_ and cat calls.

"Cut it out." the son of Poseidon said, trying not to smile.

**That guy must've been into everything around here, Leo thought.**

"I guess..." Percy said modestly.

**"So, Beckendorf was pretty popular?" Leo asked. "I mean- before he blew up?"**

Percy, Jake, and Hephaestus winced at that.

"Do you even think before you speak?" Thalia growled "Or are you just that insensitive?"

Leo, pushing a small screw back and forth on the floor, remained silent.

**"He was awesome," Will said.**

Hephaestus and Jake smiled sadly.

"You're taking his questions really well," Apollo mentioned to his son.

"I probably I had time to adjust." Will replied.

 **"It was hard on the whole camp when he died. Jake- he became head counselor in the middle of the war. Same as I did actually.** **Jake did his best, but he never wanted to be leader. He just likes building stuff. Then after the war, things started to go wrong. Cabin Nine's chariots blew up. Their automatons went haywire. Their inventions started to malfunction. It was like a curse, and eventually people started calling it that- The Curse of Cabin Nine. Then Jake had his accident-"**

"So... It's less of a curse and more of a loss of morale?" Percy summed up.

"Apparently, though I can't tell which is worse." Jake sighed.  At least with a curse you can defeat the person who cast it. He had no idea how he would help boost the morale in Cabin Nine. How would Beckendorf do it?  

**"Which had something to do with the problem he mentioned," Leo guessed.**

**"They're working on it," Will said without enthusiasm.**

"Are they ever going to address what this problem is?" Annabeth said impatiently. 

**The forge looked like a steam-powered locomotive had smashed into the Greek Parthenon and they had fused together....The building sat at the edge of a stream, with several waterwheels turning a series of bronze gears.**

Jake sighed wistfully.

 _Future me must be so bored._ he thought, frowning as he imagined himself laying in bed with nothing to do except sleep.

**....They stepped through the doorway, and a dozen guys and girls who'd been working on various projects all froze. The noise died down to the roar of the forge and the click-click of gears and levers.**

**"Sup, guys," Will said. "This is your new brother, Leo-um, what's your last name?"**

Leo set his screw upright and spun it like a top.

The screw twirled for a briefly before collapsing on the floor.

**"Valdez." Leo looked around at the other campers. Was he really related to all of them?**

"How is that so surprising?" Connor asked.

"I never had a big family before, so it was kinda weird to suddenly have all these siblings." Leo explained.

He flicked the screw and watched it roll across the room, bumping into Drew's leg.

Looking up from her fingernails, Drew glared at him before turning her attention back to her nails.

**His cousins came from some big families, but he'd always just had his mom- until she died.**

_Wow, thanks for the reminder, book._ Leo scowled.

Remembering his mom being taken by Hades, Percy grimaced.  _I can't imagine what my life would be if my mom had really died._

**Kids came up and started shaking hands and introducing themselves. Their names blurred together: Shane, Christopher, Nyssa, Harley (yeah, like the motorcycle).**

"Were you the one who named him that?" Athena asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion

Hephaestus smiled sheepishly. "It's a perfectly good name for a boy like him."

**...None of them looked like the others- all different face types, hair color, height.**

"Wouldn't that make it easier them apart?" Katie asked.

"Sometimes," Leo admitted. "but I keep mixing up Shane's name with Christopher's."

"You'll get it eventually." Travis assured.

**...But they all had powerful hands, rough with calluses and stained with engine grease. Even little Harley, who couldn't have been more than eight, looked like he could go six rounds with Chuck Norris without breaking a sweat.**

"Yeah, right." Clarisse huffed.

"Well," Chris began. "he is trained to battle monsters, so it's that hard to believe."

**And all the kids shared a sad kind of seriousness. Their shoulders slumped like life had beaten them down pretty hard.**

"The supposed curse, 'problem', and death of Beckendorf must be too much for them to handle." Athena said.

Hephaestus, absentmindedly twiddling his thumbs, slouched in his chair.

"Those reasons and the fact that their new counselor is in no shape to help fix the problem." the goddess of wisdom added, not noticing conscience-stricken Jake biting his bottom lip.

**Several looked like they'd been physically beaten up, too. Leo counted two arm slings, one pair of crutches, an eye patch, six Ace bandages, and about seven thousand Band-Aids.**

"Most of those injuries could've came from the Titian War..." Annabeth said, but she looked doubtful.

"Or it could be because of their 'curse'." Nico said with air quotes.

**"Well, all right!" Leo said. "I hear this is the party cabin!"**

"Idiot." Thalia muttered and rolled her eyes, wishing that this Leo chapter was almost over so they could go back to Jason.

Leo, thinking similar thoughts, took out some cable wires out of his tool belt.

**Nobody laughed. They all just stared at him.**

"It's was kinda corny." Chris admitted.

"I'll give you two points for trying." Travis said to Leo, who was tying and untying the cable wires together.

"But," Connor, said in mock seriousness. "I'll have to give you negative two points for failing."

**Will Solace patted Leo's shoulder.**

"You know you can just call me 'Will', right?" Will commented. "You don't have to call me by my full name. The first time it's okay, but now it's kinda annoying."

"Sorry, Will Solace, I'll remember that next time, you know, just in case you decide to read my thoughts again." Leo said dryly.

**"I'll leave you guys to get acquainted. Somebody show Leo to dinner when it's time?"**

**"I got it," one of the girls said. Nyssa, Leo remembered....Except for the smiley-face Band-Aid on her chin, she looked like one of those female action heroes, like any second she was going to grab a machine gun and start mowing down aliens.**

Nyssa silently raised a eyebrow at this while most of everyone else laughed.

**"Cool," Leo said. "I always wanted a sister who could beat me up."**

"Why not a brother?" Katie asked.

Leo untied the knot on his yellow wire.

"No reason really, just a personal preference."

_That and she could give me unbelievable dating advice, and would smack me if I did anything wrong. The perfect Slap-Leo-in-the-face machine, only organic._

Leo, for the first time after reading chapters in his point of view, genuinely smiled.

**Nyssa didn't smile. "Come on, joker boy. I'll show you around."**

**Leo was no stranger to workshops. He'd grown up around grease monkeys and power tools. His mom used to joke that his first pacifier was a lug wrench. But he'd never seen any place like the camp forge.**

**...."That's the metal?"**

**She nodded. "Mined from Mount Olympus itself. Extremely rare. Anyway, it usually disintegrates monsters on contact, but big powerful ones have notoriously tough hides. Drakons, for instances-"**

**"You mean dragons?"**

"She means drakons." Clarisse said, subconsciously rubbing her arms for warmth.

**"Similar species. You'll learn the difference in monster-fighting class."**

**"Monster-fighting class. Yeah, I already got my black belt in that."**

_Piper_ _and Jason have their black belts._ Leo corrected himself.  _I didn't even earn my white belt._

**She didn't crack a smile. Leo hoped she wasn't this serious all the time. His dad's side of the family had _some_ sense of humor, right?**

"We can be fun... It's just... ya' know..." Jake trailed off. 

"The curse..." Nyssa finished.

 **...** **One of the campers cranked the centaur's tail, and whirred to life. It galloped across the table, yelling, "Die, mosquito! Die mosquito!" and shooting everything in sight.**

**Apparently this had happened before, because everybody knew to hit the floor except Leo.**

Thalia shook her head at this.

**Six needle-sized arrows embedded themselves in his shirt before a camper grabbed a hammer and smashed the centaur to pieces.**

**"Stupid curse!" The camper waved his hammer at the sky. "I just want a magic bug killer! Is that too much to ask?"**

Hephaestus sighed. 

"There has to be some way to snap them out of it." Percy muttered. "Can't we have a Pizza party or something."

Nico smiled despite himself. "It's not that easy. They too convinced that it's some kind of curse."

**...Leo rubbed his chest as they walked. "That sort of thing happen a lot?"**

**"Lately," Nyssa said, "everything we build turns to junk."**

**"The curse?"**

**Nyssa frowned. "I don't believe in curses.**

" _Oh_ they're real, trust me." Percy said to Nyssa, sending a glare to Ares (who smugly smiled back). "We're just lucky it didn't happen to your cabin."

**But something's wrong. And if we don't figure out the dragon problem, it's gonna get even worse."**

**"The dragon problem?" Leo hoped she was talking about a miniature dragon, maybe one that killed cockroaches, but he got the feeling he wasn't going to be so lucky.**

Most of the people in the room had the same feeling.

**Nyssa took him over to a big wall map that a couple of girls were studying.**

**...."It's got to be in the hills," the first girl said.**

**"We looked in the hills," the second argued. "The woods are better hiding place."**

**...."Hold up," Leo said. "You guys lost a dragon? A real full-size dragon?"**

**"It's a bronze dragon," Nyssa said.**

Annabeth and Percy exchanged looks.

"This is bad." Percy concluded.

"Very bad." Annabeth corrected.

"I thought the Hephaestus Cabin fixed the dragon." Katie said, turning to Jake for a explanation.

"We did. Well... Beckendorf did..." Jake paused. "He must have malfunctioned after the Titian War."

" _Great._ " Clarisse said through gritted teeth.

"Com'on guys," Apollo said cheerfully. "I'm sure it can't be  _that_  bad. You stopped it before, right?"

**"But yes, it's a life-size automaton. Hephaestus cabin built it years ago. Then it was lost in the woods until a few summers back, when Beckendorf found it in pieces and rebuilt it. It's been helping protect the camp, but, um, it's a little unpredictable."**

**"Unpredictable," Leo said.**

Travis paled as he read the next sentence.

**"It goes haywire and smashes down cabins, sets people on fire, tries to eat the satyrs."**

"Yeah, not that bad." Artemis said sarcastically to her brother.

"I didn't know!" Apollo defended.

"That's horrible!" Hestia gasped.

"T-t-tries to eat the  _satyrs_!" Grover stuttered, nervously chewing his finger nails. "That's it! Somebody needs to destroy that thing quick, before it kills somebody!"

"It probably already has." Nico said darkly. He wouldn't be surprised if what he said was true. This wasn't the first time one of Hephaestus' automatons killed an innocent lives and it wouldn't be the last.

" _Woah_! Dude!" Leo exclaimed in horror at the son of Hades. His hands protectively covered his wires as if trying to prevent it from hearing. "Do you hear what comes out of your mouth?!"

"I'm not deaf." Nico retorted.

"Listen," Leo said, addressing to the group. "I know this may seem bad, but it sounds worse then it actually is."

Leo wasn't actually sure about how bad the damage was, but there was no way in Tartarus was he going to let some stupid book make people think of his dragon as some sort of monster.

" _Sounds worse than it actually is?_ " Percy repeated in disbelief. "He sets people on  _fire_!"

"And eats satyrs!" Grover quickly added.

"Okay." Leo, holding up one finger, began. "One: it may have set people on fire, smashed cabins, and  _tried_  to eat satyrs, but it didn't kill anybody." he glanced at Nico when he said this. "If it did, that would've have been the first thing Nyssa said about how dangerous it is. So you can calm down, Grover, there are no random tulips growing in Fe- the dragon's stomach."

Leo held up another finger.

"And two: The dragon is malfunctioning, we don't need to destroy it. We just need to fix the dragon."

Leo sighed, pulling his wires.

"Now that my little spiel is over, can we just finish this chapter?"

Surprised by the sudden outburst, it took Travis a while to snap out of his daze and continue reading.

**"That's pretty unpredictable."**

"Unpredictable, indeed." Athena huffed.

**Nyssa nodded. "Beckendorf was the only one who could control it. Then he died, and the dragon just got worse and worse. Finally it went berserk and ran off. Occasionally it shows up, demolishes something, and runs away again. Everyone expects us to find and destroy it-"**

"Of course this happens after Beckendorf leaves." Jake muttered.

**" _Destroy_ it?" Leo was appalled. "You've got a life-sized bronze dragon, and you want to  _destroy_ it?"**

**"It breathes fire," Nyssa explained. "It's deadly and out of control."**

**"But it's a dragon! Dude, that's so awesome. Can't you try talking to it, controlling it?"**

"Were you even listening to the fact that there is a satyr-eating dragon rampaging in the camp?!" Grover exclaimed.

"Probably not." Thalia answered before Leo could correct him. "He more than likely stopped listening until she mentioned they were trying to destroy the thing."

"If we could fix the dragon, we would." Jake sighed.

**"We tried. Jake Mason tried. You saw how well that worked."**

Jake flinched, rubbing his already bandaged arm.  _Welp. I won't be underestimating the dragon this time._

**..."The dragon drinks that?" Leo asked.**

**"Yeah." Nyssa sighed regretfully. "He used to like it with a little Tabasco sauce, right before bed. If he springs a trap, we come in with acid sprayers- should melt through his hide. Then we get metal cutters and... finish the job."**

**They all looked sad. Leo realized they didn't want to kill the dragon any more than he did.**

"Nobody wants to kill the dragon." Annabeth clarified, sending Nico, who opened his mouth to protest, a quick glare. "But we have no choice, it needs to be done. The dragon is too dangerous to have running around freely in camp."

**"Guys," he said. "There has to be another way."**

"I wish." Nyssa muttered under her breath.

**"Like what?" one asked. "The breathes fire. We can't even get close."**

"Why don't they just build some fire-proof armor and weapons?" Hestia suggested.

"I doubt they would actually work considering the Hephaestus cabin's condition right now." Hermes frowned.

**Fire, Leo thought. Oh man, the things he could tell them about fire...**

**But he had to be careful.... _Especially_ if he had to live with them.**

"What does that mean?" Annabeth asked, as everyone turned to Leo.

"I don't know." Leo said, obviously lying. He avoided the looks by staring at his wires.

When he was certain nobody was staring at him, he shot the book a irritated glare.

**"Well..." He hesitated. "Hephaestus is the god of fire, right? So don't any of you have like fire resistance or something?"**

"I wish." Jake said wistfully. "It would be so much easier to fix the dragon."

**Nobody acted as if it was a crazy question, which was a relief, but Nyssa shook her gravely.**

**...Leo's shoulders slumped. "Oh."**

**A guy in back said, "Well, a long _time_ ago-"**

Leo held back a groan of frustration.  _Do I really have to hear this again?_

**"Yeah, okay," Nyssa conceded. "A long time ago some children of Hephaestus were born with the power over fire. But that ability was very, very rare. And always dangerous.**

"No kidding." Leo muttered, clenching and unclenching his hand.

"Huh?" Connor asked him.

"Nothing." Leo replied.

**No demigod like that has been born in centuries. The last one..." She looked at one of the other kids for help.**

**"Sixteen sixty-six," the girl offered. "Guy named Thomas Faynor. He started the Great Fire of London, destroyed most of the city."**

"Wow, one guy can do all that?" Percy asked in awe.

"Says the guy who demolishes schools, an inactive volcano, national landmarks, and basically everywhere he goes." Annabeth remarked, giving his hand a squeeze.

Leaning back, Percy gave her a lopsided smile.

Nico huffed and, as casually as he could, leaned back also.

Feeling a tinge of annoyance, Annabeth frowned when Nico blocked her view of Percy.

**"Right," Nyssa said. "When a child of Hephaestus like that appears, it usually means something catastrophic is about to happen. And we don't need any more catastrophes."**

The blank look on Leo's normally expressive face sent a shiver down Connor's spine.

"Hey Leo, are you okay?" he cautiously asked the teen. He knew Leo wouldn't properly answer his question, but he hoped he could get a reaction, any reaction, out of him.

Leo slowly blinked at him, before plastering a smile on his face.

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?" he asked rhetorically.

"I don't know, man, you tell me. You're the one who looked like a zombie."

'Smiling', Leo just hummed before searching for something in his tool belt's pocket.

**Leo tried to keep his face clear of emotion, which wasn't his strong suit. "I guess I see your point. Too bad, though. If you could resist flames, you could get close to the dragon."**

"It doesn't really matter since there are other ways the dragon could kill you." Hades said absentmindedly, feeling a headache beginning at the thought of all the work that was piling up in the Underworld. Persephone is going to be furious for leaving her with so much work to do.

**"Then it would kill you with its claws and fangs," Nyssa said. "Or simply step on you. No, we've got to destroy it. Trust me, if anyone could figure out another answer..."**

**...This was the cabin's big test. If they do something only Beckendorf could do, if they could subdue the dragon without killing it, then maybe their curse would be lifted. But they were stumped for ideas. Any camper who figured out how would be a hero.**

Nyssa and Jake exchanged stressed looks.

Meanwhile, Leo kept himself distracted by playing with nuts and bolts.

"You can do it. I'm sure you can think of something." Percy encouraged.

**A conch horn blew in the distance. Campers started putting up their tools and projects.**

**Leo hadn't realized it was getting so late, but he looked through the windows and saw the sun going down...** **If he was interested in something, like touring a demigod camp, hours slipped away and bam- the day was over.**

"That's a common symptom of being a demigod." Chris said.

**....His cabin mates filed out of the forge. Soon Leo was alone with the sounds of the bellows, the waterwheels, and small machines clicking and whirring.**

**He stared at the map of camp- the locations where his new found siblings were going to put traps to catch a dragon. It was wrong. Plain wrong.**

"It's not like we have a choice..." Nyssa reminded with a sad sigh.

**Very rare, he thought. And always dangerous.**

Athena raised a eyebrow at this.

 **He held out his hand and studied his fingers. They were long and thin, not callused like the other Hephaestus campers'.....** **He'd survive in tough neighborhoods, tough schools, tough foster homes by using his wit. He was the class clown, the court jester, because he'd learned early that if you cracked jokes and pretended you weren't scared, you usually didn't get beat up.**

"Yup. Thanks. Didn't we already read a description about me?" Leo complained.  

"Usually" Hephaestus asked his son.

"I'm faster then I used to be." he replied.

**Even the baddest gangster kids would tolerate you, keep you around for laughs. Plus, humor was a good way to hide the pain. And if that didn't work, there was always Plan B. Run away. Over and over.**

Leo forced himself to laugh. "Wow! Do I sound like a wimp or what?"

Ares opened his mouth to reply, but a sideways glare from Aphrodite advised otherwise.

 **There was Plan C, but he'd promised himself never to use it again...** **He extended his fingers and felt them tingle, like they were waking up- pins and needles. Then flames flickered to life, curls of red-hot fire dancing across his palm.**

Dropping his nuts and bolts, Leo, releasing a long sigh, buried his face in his hands.

"Dude! You can wield fire?!" Travis exclaimed.

"Yeah..."

"That's awesome!" Connor said with a wide smile. "Can you give us a demonstration?"

"Yeah!" Travis encouraged. "Take something out of your tool belt and burn it!"

"He already tried that." Athena told the Stolls. Turning her attention to the son of Hephaestus, Athena stated. "You tried to burn the books."

Leo hesitated.

"Uh... Yeah... But, it didn't work, so it doesn't really matter..." he trailed off, cracking his fingers.

" _It doesn't matter!_ " Annabeth repeated in disbelief. "You almost destroy something that can help prevent another war and you say  _it doesn't matter_?!"

"Why would you even do that?" Percy asked.

"Why are we even reading this?!" Leo finally snapped. "Why would we trust Nemesis? Wasn't she an enemy in the Titian War? How do we know that this wasn't a trap?"

"So that's the only reason. You only did it  just for  _our_ sakes and not because you feel embarrassed about us reading your point of view?" Clarisse snorted, crossing her arms.

"Well, obviously I'm not too happy with you guys reading my thoughts, but can you blame me? I'm pretty sure reading people's minds is considered an invasion of privacy! I'm not a cop or anything, but don't you need a warrant to look through someone's personal belongings?" Apollo looked ready to correct that, but Leo was already on a roll. 

"But besides all that, you know I have a point. There's no guarantee this is going to work, especially if Nemesis planned it.  If she wanted to help us, why do it this way? Why send me here? Why read it through  _my_ thoughts? And Jason and Piper's? You're not going to learn anything! We're just wasting our time!"

His shoulders heaved as he panted.

The others (except Hades and Athena) looked at him as he had just slapped each of their faces.

Hades watched him breathe heavily in a way similar to a person waiting out a rainstorm while Athena seemed be actually mulling over what he said.

"You believe that Nemesis is trying to trick us?" she asked.

"She is!" Leo exclaimed before hesitating. "Well... she could be? I can't say for sure, but it's possible. What would she gain by doing this?" 

"Nemesis tends to favor any side against those she considers to be too proud and powerful. It's likely she hates the opposing side more than she hates us." Athena pointed out. "While I agree she's not the most reliable or trustworthy ally, as long as these books are not giving us false information, I believe we can use this temporary alliance to our advantage."

"Maybe that's why she sent you here," Katie piped up. "You can let us know if anything is true or false in the books."

 _Great. I've been demoted from Supreme Commander to Fact checker._ Leo deadpanned.  _If that's why I'm here, why aren't Jason and Piper here? I'm not with them all the time, how am I supposed to tell what really happened in a situation, if I wasn't there?_

Seeing that he wasn't going to change their minds, the son of Hephaestus hung his head in defeat.  _I need a nap._

"Um... The chapter's finished." Travis said tentatively. He glanced at Leo, expecting some form of outburst. When he got no response, he continued. "Does anybody else want to read?"

"I will." Thalia volunteered, taking the book.


	8. Jason VII

" **Jason VII** ," Thalia began.

_At least it's not in my point of view anymore._ Leo's finger idly traced patterns on his pants.

**As Soon As Jason Saw The House, he knew he was a dead man.**

A few people exchanged confused looks.

"Um... what?" Percy scratched his head.

**"Here we are!" Drew said cheerfully. "The Big House, camp headquarters."**

Thalia scowled. She had forgotten Drew was the one taking him to the Big House.

**It didn't look threatening, just a four-story manor painted baby blue with white trim....Jason could imagine old people coming here for summer vacation, sitting on the porch and sipping prune juice while they watched the sunset.**

"And he's scared of the Big House because..." Chris said, not seeing the reason why anybody would be afraid of the Big House.

"He could just be nervous. It is his first time at Camp." Katie suggested, looking unsure.

**Still, the windows seemed to glare down at him like angry eyes....On the highest gable, a bronze eagle weather vane spun in the wind and pointed straight in his direction, as if telling him to turn around.**

" _What?_ " Thalia couldn't help but ask.

"How does he even see that?" Chris scratched his head.

"Okay he lost me" Connor declared, throwing his hands up in defeat. "I'm starting to think he has a fear of blue houses."

**Every molecule in Jason's body told him he was on enemy ground.**

If possible, Jason's irrational fear confused the readers even more.

**"I'm not supposed to be here," he said.**

_I can relate._ Leo thought, remembering his time at New Rome. 

"What is he talking about?" Nyssa asked nobody in particular. "Camp Half-Blood is the only safe place for a demigod. Why would he call it 'enemy ground'?"

"He might've used to be on Kronos' side in the Titian War." Annabeth thought out loud. "That would explain why he feels uncomfortable there."

"Doubt it." Thalia said. "Pretty sure we would've seen him or at least heard of him if that were true."

"I dunno. There were a lot of demigods joining the other side, it could be possible you missed him." Chris said quietly, looking down at the marble floor.

"How could we?" she challenged. "He's the son of Zeus and he can  _fly_! If there was even a rumor about him joining the Titans, we would've known."

" **Drew circled her arm through his.** " Thalia read, feeling like she was going to gag. **"Oh, please. You're perfect here, sweetie. Believe me, I've seen a lot of heroes."**

Clarisse rolled her eyes.

**Drew smelled like Christmas-a strange combination of pine and nutmeg. Jason wondered if she always smelled like that, or if it was some kind of special perfume for the holidays.**

"A woman never reveals her secrets." Drew giggled.

Thalia briefly looked at her with an unamused expression before going back to reading.

**Her pink eyeliner was really distracting. ...S** **he was pretty. No doubt about that.**

Drew giggled louder.

Thalia cringed.  _Jay, don't do this to me._

**But she made Jason feel uncomfortable.**

Th huntress couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction after seeing that stupid smile wiped off Drew's face.

_Pretty sure she does that to everybody._ Connor thought.

**...."Look, I appreciate-"**

**"Is it that girl?" Drew pouted. "Oh, please, tell me you are not dating Dumpster Queen."**

Aphrodite shifted uncomfortably in her seat. 

_She doesn't know yet,_ she reminded herself.  _Once she does, I'm sure they'll get along._

**"You mean Piper? Um..."**

**Jason wasn't sure how to answer...He shouldn't befriend these people, and certainly he shouldn't date one of them.**

_Certainly not._  Athena agreed.

" _These people_?" Annabeth echoed, eyes narrowing. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, he just worded it badly." Thalia assured.

"I guess..." Annabeth cradled her head in her hand.  _Why does she keep defending him? Even if he is a son of Zeus, she wouldn't be this protective of someone she doesn't know. Have those two met somewhere?_

Leo took out a piece of paper from his tool belt and began folding it.

**Still... Piper had been holding his hand when he woke up on that bus. She believed she was his girlfriend...He didn't even know his own story. He couldn't play with her emotions like that.**

"He's such a gentleman." Aphrodite cooed, hugging Ares' arm.

Placing his new paper hat on his head, Leo took out another piece of paper. Leo's tongue poked out of his mouth as he gingerly folded the paper.

**Drew rolled her eyes. "Let me help you decide, sweetie. You can do better.**

" _Drew!_ " Aphrodite gasped.

Drew shrugged.

"Sorry." she replied dismissively. 

**A guy with your looks and obvious talent."**

**She wasn't looking at him, though. She was staring at a spot right above his head.**

**"You're waiting for a sign," he guessed. "Like what popped over Leo's head."**

**"What? No! Well... yes. I mean, from what I've heard, you're pretty powerful, right? You're going to be important in camp, so I figure your parent will claim you right away. And I'd love to see that. I wanna be with you every step of the way! So is your dad or mom the god? Please tell me it's not your mom. I would hate if you were an Aphrodite kid."**

Leo frowned at his finished swan. It looked more like a paper hairball than the elegant bird it was supposed to be.

After rolling the ball away, Leo took out another paper and began folding.

**"Why?"**

**...."Aren't you cute! Sweetie, the godly side of your family doesn't count except for your parent. So anybody from another cabin-their fair game. So who's your godly parent-mom or dad?"**

"He has amnesia." Thalia explained to Drew slowly. "How do you expect him to know if he can't even remember how old he is?"

Drew huffed. "I know that  _now_ , but I obviously don't know that in the book."

**....Then he heard footsteps on the front porch. No-not footsteps- _hooves_.**

**"Chiron!" Drew called. "This is Jason. He's totally awesome!"**

Thalia rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but agree. Her little brother  _was_ awesome, especially compared to other boys she knew.

Unaware of Thalia's quick glance, Leo wondered how he managed to make a paper ninja star look like an accordion.

_I think I'm only good at making hats._ Leo concluded, crumpling the already wrinkled paper.

Hearing the noise, Demeter looked over and dramatically gasped at the sight.

" _Leo Valdez_! Do you have any idea what you're doing?!" Demeter demanded.

"Uh... Nothing?"

"I wish you were doing nothing instead of crumpling that piece of paper! Are you aware of how many trees were cut down to make that one paper?"

Demeter pointed to the box in the corner of the room.

"You better recycle those papers right now young man, or no cereal for a month!"

Leo didn't get what was so bad about her punishment, but he quickly obeyed the goddess' order.

Thalia shook her head before she continued reading.

**....From the waist up he was human, with curly brown hair and well-trimmed beard....His head was so high up he had to duck to avoid porch lights, because from the waist down, he was a stallion.**

A few people smiled fondly at the description. 

**Chiron started to smile at Jason. Then the color drained from his face.**

**"You..." The centaur's eyes flared like a cornered animal's. "You should be dead."**

"What?" Thalia exclaimed.  _How would he know that? I've never even told anyone that Jason existed. Maybe he's thinking of someone else?_

Annabeth studied Thalia's reaction.

_How do Chiron and Thalia know this guy? ...And why haven't they told me._ Annabeth felt a pang of betrayal. She knew it wasn't fair to feel this way towards them but she  _always_ told them about anything that was on her mind. She even opened up to them about her relationship with her family.  _I just wish they would trust me._  

**Chiron ordered Jason-well, invited, but it sounded like an order-to come inside the house. He told Drew to go back to her cabin, which Drew didn't look happy about.**

_Sucks to suck._ Thalia smirked.

**The centaur trotted over to the empty wheelchair on the porch....Chiron gingerly stepped into it with his back legs and began scrunching himself into a space that should've been too small. Jason imagined a truck's reversing noises- _beep, beep, beep-_** **as the centaur's lower half disappeared and the chair folded up, popping out a set of fake human legs covered in a blanket**

Apollo chuckled at that.

_Wow, Jason's thoughts are more weirder than I expected them to be._ Leo thought.

**...."Follow me," he ordered. "We have lemonade."**

"Way to break the ice, Chiron." Connor muttered.

Hearing him, Leo snickered.

**The living room looked like it had been swallowed by a rain forest. Grapevines curved up the walls and across the ceiling, which Jason found a little strange. He didn't think plants grew like that inside, especially in the winter, but these were leafy green and bursting with bunches of red grapes.**

"Nice interior decorating." Demeter complimented, giving Dionysus a nod of approval.

"Thank you." the voice behind the magazine said.

"I wish  **Hades** had your sense of interior decorating," she began. She turned and glared daggers at the god. "The Underworld needs more plants! If I told him once, I told him a million times. The Underworld  _needs_  plants! Maybe Per-"

Thalia continued reading.

Demeter huffed muttering about how rude she was, while Katie and Hades were sending her looks full of gratitude.

**But the weirdest thing was the stuffed leopard's head above the fireplace. It looked so real, its eyes seemed to follow Jason. Then it snarled, and Jason nearly leaped out if his skin.**

Behind his magazine, Dionysus smiled. He was definitely getting that head in the future. The looks on the demigods' faces would be to good to pass up.

"Um...why is that there?" Percy couldn't help but ask.

"To eat demigods I don't like." the god easily replied. Percy would've laughed,  if he didn't sound so serious. 

**"Now, Seymour," Chiron chided. "Jason is a friend. Behave yourself."**

**"That thing is alive!" Jason said.**

Leo snickered, wishing he could see the look on Jason's normally stoic face.

**Chiron rummaged though the side pocket of his wheelchair and brought out a package of sausages. He threw one to the leopard, who snapped it up and licked his lips.**

**"You must excuse the décor," Chiron said. "All this was a parting gift from our old director before he was recalled to Mount Olympus. He thought it would help us remember him. Mr. D has a strange sense of humor."**

"Tell us about." Hera sighed.

Dionysus, sipping his Diet Coke, shrugged as if he heard it before.

**"Mr.D," Jason said. "Dionysus?"**

Bored, Leo took out some pipe cleaners.

His thin fingers easily bent and twisted the purple pipe cleaner.

**"Mmm hmm." Chiron poured lemonade, though his hands were trembling a little.**

Annabeth gave a concerned frown.  _What's wrong with Chiron? It's almost ilke he's scared of Jason._

**"As for Seymour, well, Mr. D liberated him from a Long Island garage sale. The leopard is Mr. D's sacred animal, you see, and Mr. D was appalled that someone would stuff such a noble creature."**

"It  _is_  a waste of a perfectly good leopard." Dionysus stated.

**"He decided to grant it life, on the assumption that life as a mounted head was better than no life at all. I must say it's a kinder fate than Seymour's previous owner got.**

Percy shuddered. He could only imagine what the wine dude did to that poor guy.

_He probably turned him into a grape and ate him. Or maybe he had Seymour eat him._ Percy gulped.

**Seymour bared his fangs and sniffed the air, as if hunting for more sausages.**

**"If he's only a head," Jason said. "where does his food go when he eats?"**

"Some things are better left unanswered." Artemis said with a faint look of disgust.

**"Better not to ask," Chiron said. "Please, sit."**

**...."So, Jason," he said, "would you mind telling me- ah- where you're from?"**

**"I wish I knew." Jason told him the whole story...He didn't see any point in hiding details, and Chiron was a good listener. He didn't react to the story, other than to nod encouragingly for more.**

"It's one of the great things about him." Hestia mentioned.

**..."I see," Chiron said. "And you must have questions for me."**

**"Only one," Jason admitted. "What did you mean when you said that I should be dead?"**

Annabeth leaned forward, ready to absorb the information like a sponge.

**Chiron studied him with concern, as if he expected Jason to burst into flames.**

Leo placed his curled pipe cleaner on the floor before picking up a green one.

**"My boy, do you know what those marks on your arm mean? The color of your shirt? Do you remember anything?"**

Annabeth raised a eyebrow. She could understand why the marks on Jason's arm would be significance, but the color of his shirt?

"What does the color of his shirt have to do with anything?" Will spoke up.

"It could be symbolic." Chris considered. "I mean, Chiron thinks the purple means something."

_That's true..._ Annabeth thought.  _But what would purple mean? ...Let's see, purple is known to be a rare color in nature. It was used to represent royalty and wealth. I guess it kinda makes sense why Jason is wearing it since he's the son of Zeus, the king of gods. But wouldn't that mean Jason already knew he was Zeus's son?_

Annabeth leaned back as she mulled over her thoughts.

**Jason looked at the tattoo on his forearm: SPQR, the eagle, twelve straight lines.**

_I don't know what SPQR means, but the eagle is an easy one. The eagle is a symbol of Zeus. I guess that the twelve lines could be used to represent how many times something happened. But who would do something so painful like burning  those marks on his body?  Did he do it to himself? Did a monster do it? But why would they waste time doing that instead of eating him?_ Annbeth absentmindedly twirled her hair.

**"No," he said. "Nothing."**

**"Do you know where you are?" Chiron asked. "Do you understand what this place is, and who I am?"**

**"You're Chiron the centaur," Jason said. "I'm guessing you're the same one from the old stories, who used to train the Greek heroes like Heracles.**

Thalia and Percy exchanged looks.

**This is a camp for demigods, children of the Olympian gods."**

**"So you believe those gods still exist?"**

**"Yes," Jason said immediately. "I mean, I don't think we should worship them or sacrifice chickens to them or anything,**

_Those were the days._ Zeus sighed wistfully.  _Nowadays people get sick at the mention of sacrificing a live chicken._

_Out of the three, Jason is the only one who is completely fine with gods existing._ Annabeth realized, staring at ceiling.  _I guess that's good since it'll be easy for him to transition into camp life. But how did he know about all this? Did his mom tell him or was it someone else? But if they knew gods were real, why wouldn't they take him to camp sooner? They would've had to know it existed, right?_

**but they're still around because they're powerful part of civilization. They move from country to country as the center of power shifts- like they move from Ancient Greece to Rome."**

_He even knows that?_ Annabeth hummed thoughtfully.

Leo looked at his green zig-zag, unsure with what to do with it, he simply rested it next to the other and picked another.

**" _I couldn't have said it better._ " Something about Chiron's voice had changed. " _So you already know the gods are real. You have already been claimed, haven't you_?"**

**" _Maybe,_ " Jason answered. " _I'm not really sure_** **."**

**...The centaur had switched to another language and Jason had understood, automatically answering in the same tongue.**

"Ancient Greek?" Katie guessed.

**" _Quis erat_ -" **Thalia fumbled with the words' pronunciation.  **Jason faltered, then made a conscious effort to speak English.**

"Actually, that's Latin." Surprisingly, Percy corrected.

"How do you know?" Nico asked.

"Before I became a demigod, Chiron taught me some Latin when I was twelve and I took Latin classes in my freshman year." Percy shrugged. "Guess they paid off."

**"You know Latin," Chiron observed. "Most demigods recognize a few phases, of course. It's in their blood, but not as much as Ancient Greek. None can speak Latin fluently without practice."**

"Maybe Jason took Latin classes too?" Percy suggested.

"No, I think it's somehow connected to his tattoos and shirt." Annabeth muttered.  _It's gotta be. It's too weird for it not to be._

She turned to her mother for advice, but Athena avoided her gaze. 

Annabeth narrowed her eyes.

_She knows something about him. Probably the truth, but why isn't she telling me? **Urgh!** Why don't people tell me anything?! _Annabeth sighed loudly.  _Okay Annabeth, relax. You don't need help. You're smart enough to do this on your own._

Annabeth closed her eyes in concentration.  _Okay, let's see what we know so far. One: Jason knows all the basics about demigods and gods. He knows he's the son of Zeus, firmly believes gods exist, and probably was already claimed. Two: His tattoo, shirt, fluent Latin, and tendency to use Roman terms are all related. How does he know this? We don't know. What does the Latin and tattoos have to do with anything? We don't know. Does he know this because he was taught? Or is it just natural? Or-_

Annabeth held her forehead.  _I feel like I'm missing a bigger picture here._

Leo could almost see the gears in her head turning. 

_She's going to figure it out soon._ Leo realized with a grimace.  _And when she tells everyone then what happens? At this point, are they even willing to trust the Romans?_

**....He still had the feeling that he shouldn't be here. It was wrong- and dangerous.**

"This the second time he said he shouldn't be here." Thalia worriedly frowned.

_Why do you care?! Why does he feel like this?!_ Annabeth wanted to yell.

**But at least Chiron wasn't threatening. In fact, the centaur seemed concerned for him, afraid for his safety.**

**... [Chiron]"I taught your namesake, you know, the original Jason. He had a hard path. I've seen many heroes come and go. Occasionally, they have happy endings. Mostly they don't. It breaks my heart, like losing a child each time one of my pupils dies."**

The demigods looked sad to hear something like this from the centaur.

**"But you- you are not like any pupil I've ever taught. Your presence here could be a disaster."**

_Glad I'm not the only one whose presence does that._ Leo thought, twisting the orange pipe cleaner.

**...."Percy Jackson, you mean. Annabeth's boyfriend, the one who's missing."**

_Is that all he's known as nowadays?_ Nico wondered, looking at the entwined hands of the latest couple.  _Not as the Savior of Olympus, not as the son of Poseidon, not even as that guy who breathes underwater. He's just known as **Annabeth's** boyfriend. Why do people keep forgetting he was somebody else before he was Annabeth's boyfriend?_

Meanwhile, Annabeth sighed sadly at the reminder of Percy's disappearance.

**Chiron nodded. "I hoped that after he succeeded in the Titan War and saved Mount Olympus, we might have some peace. I might be able to enjoy one final triumph, a happy ending, and perhaps retire quietly. I should have known better. The last chapter approaches, just as it did before. The worst has yet to come."**

_It's just like what Nemesis said._  Athena thought, remembering the letter.

"What could be worse then fighting Kronos?" Percy asked, feeling queasy at the idea.

**..."Ohh-kay," Jason said. "So- last chapter, happened before, worst yet to come. Sounds fun,**

"Your friend has a weird idea of what's fun." Travis told Leo.

With a goofy smile, Leo replied. "Yeah, but I wouldn't expect anything less from him."

**but we go back to the part where I'm supposed to be dead? I don't like that part."**

**"I'm afraid I can't explain, my boy. I swore on the River Styx and on all things sacred that I would never..."**

Annabeth inwardly groaned. So much for getting some information from Chiron.  _Of course._

**Chiron frowned. "But you're here, in violation of the same oath. That too, should not be possible.**

_What kind of oath would ban a demigod from going to Camp? Is he that dangerous?_ Annabeth tapped her fingers on her lap.

**....The old centaur had frozen too. Jason jumped off the couch, but Chiron kept staring at the same spot, his mouth open mid-sentence. His eyes didn't blink. His chest didn't move.**

_Did Nemesis harass him too?_  Leo wouldn't be surprised.

**_...._ The mist took the form of a woman in black robes. Her face was hooded, but her eyes glowed in the darkness. Over her shoulders she wore a goatskin cloak.**

_Oh yeah, it was Hera._ Leo remembered.  _Maybe Nemesis took some tips from her._

The demigods turned to Annabeth for a answer, but she looked as clueless as they did.

Meanwhile, the gods glanced at Hera.

Said goddess tightly grasped her slightly trembling hands.

**Jason wasn't sure how he knew it was goatskin, but he recognized it and knew it was important.**

"Is that like the purple shirt?" Annabeth mumbled. 

_**Would you attack your patron?** _ **the woman chided. Her voice echoed in Jason's head. _Lower your sword._**

"Patron? Not godly parent?" Chris said.

"She couldn't be Jason's godly parent." Katie corrected. "We already know that it's Zeus."

"But why would he have a patron?

**"Who are you?" Jason demanded. "How did you-"**

_**Our time is limited, Jason. My prison grows stronger by hour.** _

"Oh!" Annabeth exclaimed, startling Nico. "That's Hera."  _Finally, that's one mystery solved!_

" _That's Hera_?" Connor looked at the goddess. "That doesn't sound how she would dress at all."

"Why would you dressed like that?" Chris asked her.

"It doesn't matter why I decided to dress like that! What matters is I'm trapped by who knows and Jason, Piper, and Leo need to save me!" Hera snapped.

**_...._ "I don't remember. I don't remember anything."**

_**No, you don't,** _ **she agreed. _That also was necessary._**

Annabeth's eyes widened in interest. 

**_Long ago, your father gave me your life as a gift to placate my anger._ **

The glare Thalia sent her father and Hera was quick, but slow enough that they saw it.

_Okay, that explains the patronship. I guess even Hera has her moments when she can be useful._

_**He named you Jason, after my favorite mortal. You belong to me.** _

_"_ Well, that's not creepy." Travis said sarcastically.

**"Whoa," Jason said. "I don't belong to anyone."**

"You  _shouldn't_ belong to anyone." Thalia said through gritted teeth. "But,  _apparently_ , the gods give demigods away like they're  _trading cards_!"

Zeus opened his mouth to explain, but changed his mind.

Leo swore if Thalia held the book any harder, she could easily rip in two, hard cover and all.

_Come on! Come on!_ Leo, dropping his pipe cleaner, silently cheered.  _Tear that book apart! Show it no mercy!_

Much to his disappointment, Thalia took a deep breath and continued reading.

_**Now is the time to pay your debt,** _ **she said. _Find my prison. Free me, or their king will rise from the earth,_**

Athena hoped, for their sake, it wasn't who she thought it was.

**_and_   _I will be destroyed. You will never retrieve your memory._**

"Did you seriously just threaten him?" Apollo asked.

"I didn't threaten him." Hera said, sounding surprised he would even accuse her of such a thing. "I merely gave him the proper motivation to come and save me."

"Pretty sure that's the same thing." Hades rolled his eyes.

Thalia slowly counted to ten and resisted the urge to chuck the book at Hera's head.

Grover looked surprised by Thalia's strong emotion.

_You can do it, Thalia! Rip that book to shreds!_ Leo tried with all his might to will Thalia into action, but no dice.

**"Is that a threat? You took my memories?"**

_**You have until sunset on the solstice, Jason. Four short days. Do not fail me.** _

"No pressure." Hermes added.

**The dark woman dissolved, and the mist curled into the leopard's mouth.**

**Time unfroze. Seymour's howl turned into a cough like he'd sucked in a hair ball. The fire crackled to life, the arcade machine beeped, and Chiron said, "-would dare to bring you here?"**

Leo wondered if time unfroze after he left. Was Hazel still on the deck staring at unmoving clouds? Was she telling their friends about what happened to their poor seventh wheel? Were they continuing the quest despite his sudden absence? Were they mourning his death? Or were they desperately searching for their sidekick, Flaming Valdez?

**...He told Chiron about the frozen-in-time visit, the dark misty figure that disappeared into Seymour's mouth.**

**"Oh, dear," Chiron murmured. "That does explain a lot."**

**"Then why don't you explain a lot to me?" Jason said. "Please."**

_Yes, Chiron, please do._ Annabeth pleaded.

**Before Chiron could say anything, footsteps reverberated on the porch outside.**

" _Ugh_!"Annabeth groaned. 

**The front door blew open, and Annabeth and another girl, a redhead, burst in, dragging Piper between them. Piper's head lolled like she was conscious.**

"We can live without the description, thank you." Aphrodite said, paling.

**....The redheaded girl looked up, and Jason saw that she'd been crying.**

**"I think..." The redheaded girl gulped. "I think I may have killed her."**

"I didn't hear that." Aphrodite assured herself, squeezing her eyes shut.

Ares had no idea what was his lover's problem but he gave her a one-armed hug to comfort her anyway.

"I'll read next, Thalia." Artemis said, gently taking the book from her.


	9. Jason VIII

" **Jason VIII** ," Artemis began.

**Jason and the redhead, who introduced herself as Rachel, put Piper on couch while Annabeth rushed down the hall to get a med kit. Piper was still breathing, but she wouldn't wake up.**

_At least she's breathing._ Aphrodite tightly gripped Ares' hand.

**She seemed to be in some kind of coma.**

_If Hera put my child in a coma, I swear..._ "How long does it take for a person to wake from a coma?" Aphrodite asked.

Athena shrugged.

"Sometimes days, months, or years. Some unfortunate people never wake up."

 _I swear her husband's cheating will be the last thing for her to worry about._ Aphrodite impatiently tapped her foot.

Meanwhile, Connor, Travis, and Leo were playing three-way rock-paper-scissors.

**"We got to heal her," Jason insisted. "There's a way, right?"**

_There better be._ Aphrodite thought.

"You can't do that!" Leo protested when the two boys pointed finger guns at his rock.

"Sure we can." Travis smiled.

"You said 'shoot', that obviously means there is a gun included in the game." Connor, with a matching mischievous smile, added.

" _What?_ There are no guns in rock-paper-scissors. It would be called rock-paper-scissors-gun if there was."

"But you said 'shoot'."

"That means draw one of the  _three_ choices."

"Then why didn't you say 'draw'?"

"Because-"

" **Silence**!" Zeus shouted at them, tried of their bickering.

The suddenly quiet boys exchanged looks before turning their attention back to the book.

**Seeing her so pale, barely breathing,**

Aphrodite's grip on Ares' hand tightened.

**Jason felt a surge of protectiveness.**

**Maybe he didn't really know her. Maybe she wasn't his girlfriend...He'd left her side for a little while, and _this_ happened.**

Aphrodite gave a strained smile at that. 

**...."I wish I knew," she said. "As soon as I got to camp, I had a premonition about Hera's cabin. I went inside. Annabeth and Piper came in while I was there. We talked, and then- I just blanked out. Annabeth said I spoke in a different voice. "**

**"A prophecy?" Chiron asked.**

Leo searched in his tool belt for things to do.

**...."So does this happen often?" he asked. "Supernatural phone calls from convicts demanding you to bust them out of jail?"**

A few people laughed at this.

"No," Percy said with a small smile. "We usually have to deal with supernatural phone calls demanding us to  _stop_  convicts from breaking out of jail."

**"Your patron," Annabeth said. "Not your godly parent?"**

**"No, she said patron. She also said my dad had given her my life."**

Thalia gritted her teeth.  _Don't remind me._

**...."Or now," Jason said. "Sir, Mr. Chiron, you told me the greatest threat was coming. The last chapter. You can't possibly mean something worse than an army of Titans, right?"**

Everyone feared the answer to that. They barely survived the Titan War, would they win this one?

 _Why can't we just win without something even more powerful coming to destroy us? _ Percy rubbed his eyes.

Unaware of the tension in the room, Leo pulled out a measuring tape.

He pulled the yellow tape out the metal container and released it.

He watched the tape zoom back into the container.

**"Oh," Rachel said in a small voice. "Oh, dear. The woman was Hera. Of course. Her cabin, her voice. She showed herself to Jason at the same moment."**

"You must have used up most of your energy doing that." Zeus worriedly told his wife.

"I'll be fine." the goddess said, giving him a quick kiss.

Thalia gagged.  _That'll be in my nightmares tonight._

**"Hera?" Annabeth's snarl was even fiercer than Seymour's.**

Leo pulled the tape until it was five feet before releasing it.

The tape quickly returned to the contained.

**"She took you over? She did this to Piper?"**

"She'll be fine." Hera said dismissively. 

Aphrodite scowled at her.

**"I think Rachel's right," Jason said. "The woman did seem like a goddess. And she wore this- this goatskin cloak. That's a symbol of Juno, isn't it?"**

Annabeth blinked.  _What?_

**"It is?" Annabeth scowled. "I've never heard that."**

**Chiron nodded reluctantly. "Of Juno, Hera's Roman aspect, in her most warlike state. The goatskin cloak was a symbol of the Roman soldier."**

_So gods can change into into Roman forms?_ Annabeth said with dawning realization.  _Then if they had demigods that would mean..._

"Oh my gods..." she quietly gasped, her body going stiff.

 _Roman demigods? Am I just overthinking things? No, it makes sense. Jason's like us but the exact opposite. He speaks Latin, uses Roman terms, Roman emperors even wore purple to show their nobility. He has to be Roman. By why did the gods not tell us? How many demigods like Jason are there?_ Annabeth's stomach twisted at the thought of more Romans. 

Before she could ponder her feelings, she heard the sound of pieces of plastic clattering on the ground. She turned to the corner farthest away from the group and saw Leo overturning his tool belt and dumping out....

 _Legos?_ she thought dumbfounded. 

Seeing he got her attention, Leo smiled and gestured to the Legos.

 _Come here,_ his gesture welcomed but his eyes screamed:

_We need to talk._

Annabeth easily moved over to the son of Hephaestus. 

"We're making a replica of the Empire State Building." she informed him, sitting down.

"Sounds like a plan," he said, picking up pieces.

Once he was certain the others weren't listening in, Leo leaned over.

"How much do you know?" 

"Jason's a Roman." she said casually. Judging from Leo's expression, she was correct. She gave him a triumphant smile. "So that's what Thalia and Chiron are hiding!"

Leo hesitated. "Chiron knows, but I'm pretty sure Thalia doesn't. But you can't tell anyone!" he quickly added.

"Why can't I tell the others?" Annabeth asked incredulously. 

"Spoilers suck." he said with conviction. 

"This is serious!" she snapped. "There's some kind of Roman demigod out that we've never heard of before, and there can be more like him! What have they been doing all this time? Why haven't I heard of them before? Why haven't the gods ever said anything? We need to know."

Much to her surprise, Leo seemed to be seriously considering what she said. 

"There's a reason why the gods haven't told us about the Romans..." he paused. For a minute, Annabeth was worried he wasn't going to say anything, but he continued. "Apparently, there had been some kind of feud between us and every time we saw each other, it would cause some kind of conflict or us trying to tear each other apart. Last time we fought, we had this giant battle at Camp Half-Blood that got lot of demigods to get killed. Think of the Civil War, only at Camp." 

Annabeth paled. 

"Yeah," Leo stacked Lego bricks on top of each other. "After the battle, the gods used the Mist to completely wipe our memories of each other and we've been separated ever since."

"So we're enemies..." Annabeth summed up. It made sense to her. They attacked Camp Half-Blood after all.  _That explains Chiron's reaction and why I had bad feelings about them. Maybe they're on the opposing side of the upcoming war..._ She grimaced, feeling her stomach clench up at the idea.

"What? No!" Leo exclaimed, pulling her out of her thoughts. "They're one of the good guys! They're on our side!"

Annabeth crossed her arms. "So, in the future, we're on better terms?"

Leo flinched. "Erm.... I'm working on it! Look, just promise me you won't mention this to the others? Please? At least not now? I don't think I can handle being the middle man of a godly family feud."

Annabeth should've told them. She should've, but... Leo did look desperate for her not to say anything. Besides, it's not like they won't find out later.

"Okay, I promise."

Leo let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks and er... please give Jason and the Romans a chance. I know your gut's telling you to not to trust them,  _believe me I know_. But they're pretty cool. he assured. 

Annabeth was going to press him for more information, until Percy sat next to them.

"What'cha doing?" he asked, giving Annabeth a kiss on the cheek.

"Making the Empire State Building." she answered, wordlessly pushing bricks in his direction. As Percy began to build, Annabeth gave the other a teen a  _'this isn't over look'._

Leo gave her a wary smile in response. 

 _W_ _hat have I done?!_ Leo wanted to bang his head against the wall. He knew he was taking a risk by telling her. He  _freaking_ knew it. But, of course, he thought that  _this_ Annabeth would react the same way as  _future_ Annabeth. 

Annabeth... well...  _Future_ Annabeth was willing to set aside their differences with the Romans and work together to defeat Gaia. She knew the type of person Jason was and while she didn't seem to trust him (at least from Leo's perspective), she did respect him as a team member and a fellow demigod.

But this Annabeth (past or present?) didn't have time to get to know Jason or any other Roman. She didn't understand that there was a bigger threat out there than some old beef between demigods. All she knew at this point was her gut feelings and what Leo told her. And none of those really convinced her that the Greeks and the Romans are all buddy-buddy.

 _How do I fix this?_ Leo chewed his lip. What's the point in stopping a war when he was creating an entirely new one?

**"So Hera is imprisoned?" Rachel asked. "Who could do that to the queen of the gods?"**

"Someone with a lot of power." Nico muttered.

**Annabeth crossed her arms. "Well, whoever they are, maybe we should thank them. If they can shut up Hera-"**

"Ouch!" Travis said with a laugh, but he stopped when Hera gave him a poisonous glare.

**"Annabeth," Chiron warned, "she is still one of the Olympians. In many ways, she is the glue that holds the gods' family together.**

Hera sat proudly in her throne. 

"Listen to your teacher." she told Annabeth.

The daughter of Athena rolled her eyes but focused on their building.

 _She's the glue because our anger towards her is what we all have in common._ Hephaestus thought, tinkering with the mini engine on his lap.

**If she truly has been imprisoned and is in danger of destruction, this could shake the foundations of the world. It could even unravel the stability of Olympus, which is never great even in the best of times. And if Hera has asked Jason for help-"**

**"Fine," Annabeth grumbled. "Well, we know Titans can capture a god, right? Atlas captured Artemis a few years ago.** "

Artemis read out loud angrily.

"Wait." Leo frowned. "Atlas? C... er... That guy who holds the sky? How'd he catch you if he's, you know, holding the sky?"

Remembering the burden of holding the sky, Annabeth grimaced. "It's a long story."

 **And in the old stories, the gods captured each other** **in traps all the time.**

Demeter sent Hades a hateful glare.

Said god, already used to it, didn't even flinch.

**But something worse than a Titan...?"**

**...."But why use her energy to send me here?" Jason asked. "She wiped my memory, plopped me into the Wilderness School field trip, and sent you a dream vision to com pick me up. Why am I so important? Why not just send up an emergency flare to the other gods- let them know where she is so they could bust her out?"**

_Good question. Why would Hera bring him to us? She had to know the risks. Was she really that desperate?_ Annabeth frowned.

"Unfortunately, we need demigods to do these kinds of things for us." Hera grumbled.

**...Annabeth fixed her eyes on Chiron. "Why are you so quiet, Chiron? What is it we're facing."**

**The old centaur's face looked like it had aged ten years in a matter of minutes. The lines around his eyes were deeply etched. "My dear, in this, I cannot help. I am so sorry."**

Even though she knew why Chiron couldn't tell her, she still felt slightly hurt that he wouldn't tell her.

 _He's just trying to protect us._ Annabeth reminded herself.

Percy squeezed her hand in a comforting way.

**Annabeth blinked. "You've never... you never kept information from me. Even the last great prophecy-"**

**"I will be in my office." His voice was heavy. "I need some time to think before dinner. Rachel, will you watch the girl? Call Argus to bring her to the infirmary, if you'd like. And Annabeth, you should speak with Jason. Tell him about- about the Greek and Roman gods."**

"Why Roman?" Katie wondered.

**"But..."**

**The centaur turned his wheelchair and rolled off down the hallway. Annabeth's eyes turned stormy. She muttered something in Greek, and Jason got the feeling it wasn't complimentary toward centaurs.**

Katie frowned. "He couldn't understand Ancient Greek?"

Will also frowned. "That's weird. Even if he never heard it, his brain should have been able to translate snippets of what she said."

 _Not if he only knows Latin._ Annabeth thought grimly.

**...."No," Jason said. "Like I said, I don't remember anything."**

**Annabeth nodded, like she'd just come up with a rather desperate plan. "If Chiron won't help, we'll need to figure out things ourselves. Which means... Cabin Fifteen.**

The demigods exchanged confused looks.

Percy looked excited. "Cool! We get to see one of the new cabins!"

**Rachel, you'll keep an eye on Piper?"**

**...."Hold on," Jason said. "What's in Cabin Fifteen?"**

**Annabeth stood. "Maybe a way to get your memory back."**

_A little more details would be nice, future me._  Annabeth thought in annoyance.

**They headed toward a newer wing of cabins in the southwest corner of the green...It looked like an old-fashioned prairie house with mud walls and a rush roof.**

**...."You think this is my parent's cabin?" he asked.**

"Not even close." Thalia snorted.

**"No," Annabeth said. "This is the cabin for Hypnos, the god of sleep."**

**..."You've forgotten everything," she said. "If there's any god who can help us figure out memory loss, it's Hypnos."**

"That's true." Athena admitted. "But it wouldn't be that easy getting Jason's memory back."

"It's worth a try though." Annabeth replied, collecting more grey bricks.

**Inside, even though it was almost dinnertime, three kids were sound asleep under piles of covers.**

"Sounds like Clovis' dream cabin." Travis chuckled.

**...Above the mantel hung a tree branch, each twig dripping white liquid into a collection of tin bowls.**

**Jason was tempted to catch a drop on his finger just to see what it was, but he held himself back.**

_Thank Artemis._ Thalia sighed with relief.

**...Jason blinked. He realized his knees had started to buckle.**

**"Cabin Fifteen does that to everyone," Annabeth warned. "If you ask me, this place is even more dangerous than Ares cabin."**

"WHAT!" Ares exclaimed. "No way!"

"Our cabin is definitely more dangerous then this new one." Clarisse said, crossing her arms.

**At least with Ares, you know where the land mines are."**

"Looks like we'll have to change that." Clarisse said, earning a collective groan.

 _And I finally remembered where they all were too..._ Percy sighed.

Leo's jaw momentarily dropped.

"You guys got land mines? Why would you need those?" he asked.

Clarisse smiled an unfriendly smile.

"It keeps the pests out." Clarisse stared at the Stolls.

**"Land mines?"**

**She walked to the nearest snoring kid and shook his shoulder. "Clovis! Wake up!"**

"I'm awake!" Clovis shouted. He then yawned and tried to wipe the sleep out of his eyes, but his arms were tightly restrained by Leo's paper clip chain. Now fully awake as a child of Hypnos can be, Clovis struggled to free himself from his prison, but only managed to get himself further tangled up.

"Somebody help me!" Clovis cried, when he realized he was losing the battle of freedom.

" _Opps_." Leo said, moving to help untangle the teen. "Sorry Clovis. I forgot to put those away."

Clovis glared at him, but he looked more like a angry toddler who had been woken up too early than the scary glare he was aiming for.

After wiping the sleep out of his eyes (and smudging Leo's drawings), Clovis moved to sit next to Percy.

A minute later, Clovis was sleeping soundly, his head resting on Percy's shoulder.

**The kid looked like a baby cow.**

Leo laughed. "Clovis' description is worse than mine."

**He had a blond tuft of hair on a wedge-shaped head....he had spindly little arms like he'd never lifted anything heavier than a pillow.**

Percy gently took Clovis off his shoulder. His face made a look of disgust at the sight of drool on his shoulder.

**"Clovis!" Annabeth shook harder, then finally knocked on his forehead about six times.**

**"Wh-wh-what?" Clovis complained...**

**...."First help," Annabeth said. "Then sleep."**

**Clovis sighed. His breath smelled like warm milk.**

"Jason makes some weird observations." Will remarked, making a face.

**"Fine. What?"**

**Annabeth explained about Jason's problem. Every once in a while she'd her fingers under Clovis' nose to keep him awake.**

**Clovis must have been really excited, because when Annabeth was done, he didn't pass out. He actually stood and stretched, then blinked at Jason.**

"He must be really interested." Travis said. "He only does that after we tell him dinner is ready."

"And that barely happens." Connor added.

**"So you don't remember anything, huh?"**

**"Just impressions," Jason said. "Feelings, like..."**

**"Yes?" Clovis said.**

**"Like I know I shouldn't be here. At this camp, I'm in danger."**

Thalia tightened her grip on her bow. "He needs to stop saying that..."

**"Hmm. Close your eyes."**

**....Jason was afraid he'd end up snoring in one of the bunks forever, but he closed his eyes....** **The next thing he knew, his eyes snapped open. He was sitting in a chair by the fire. Clovis and Annabeth knelt next to him.**

**"-serious, all right," Clovis was saying.**

**"What happened?" Jason said. "How long-"**

**"Just a few minutes," Annabeth said. "But it was tense. You almost dissolved."**

Thalia visibly paled. "Is that normal?!" 

"Probably not." Annabeth answered, taking Leo's wall and combining it with hers.

**Jason hoped she didn't mean literally, but her expression was solemn.**

**"Usually," Clovis said, "memories are lost for a good reason. They sink under the surface like dreams, and with a good sleep, I can bring them back. But this..."**

**...."Lethe?" Jason asked.**

**...."The River Lethe in the Underworld. It dissolves your memories, wipes your mind clean permanently. That's the branch of a poplar tree from the Underworld, dipped into the Lethe. It's the symbol of my father, Hypnos. Lethe is not a place you want to go swimming."**

"Unless you're a son of Poseidon." Percy said with a grin, thinking of Bob.

**Annabeth nodded. "Percy went there once. He told me it was powerful enough to wipe the mind of a Titan."**

**Jason was suddenly glad he hadn't touched the branch. "But... that's not my problem?"**

**"No," Clovis agreed. "Your mind wasn't wiped, and your memories weren't buried. They've been stolen."**

**...."Stolen," Jason said. "How?"**

"It's pretty obvious." Thalia glared daggers at Hera.

Hera glared back.

**"A god," Clovis said. "Only a god would have that kind of power."**

**"We know that." said Jason. "It was Juno. But how did she do it and why?"**

Annabeth made a face at the Roman usage.

"Haven't we been calling her 'Hera' this whole time? Why is he still using Roman names?" Travis complained.

**Clovis scratched his neck. "Juno?"**

**"He means Hera," Annabeth said. "For some reason, Jason likes the Roman names."**

**"Hmm," Clovis said.**

**"What?" Jason asked. "Does that mean something?"**

**"Hmm," Clovis said again, and this time Jason realized he was snoring.**

"I'm surprised he stayed awake that long." Nyssa said, as Annabeth slapped her forehead.

**...."But they're the same gods," Annabeth said. "Just different names."**

**"Not exactly," Clovis said.**

The demigods looked confused.

 _How drastic is the change?_ Annabeth wondered.

**...."Well..." Clovis yawned. "Some gods are only Roman. Like Janus, or Pompona. But even the major Greek gods- it's not just their names that changed when they moved to Rome. Their appearances changed. Their attributes changed. They even had slightly different personalities."**

"How does Clovis know all this stuff?" Percy asked. "Doesn't he just... ya'know, sleep all day?"

"I  _drrrreeeeeaaaammmm_..." Clovis slurred in his sleep, startling some of the readers.

Percy blinked, unsure how to respond to that. "Um...okay."

**"But..." Annabeth faltered. "Okay, so maybe people saw them differently through centuries. That doesn't change who they are."**

_Actually, it changes more than you would believe._ Athena thought, thinking of her Roman counterpart.

**"Sure it does." Clovis began to nod off, and Jason snapped his fingers under his nose.**

**"Coming, Mother!" he yelped.**

Leo returned to building with Annabeth and Percy.

**"I mean... Yeah, I'm awake. So, um, personalities. The gods change to reflect their host cultures. You know that, Annabeth. I mean, these days, Zeus likes tailored suits, reality television, and that Chinese food place on East Twenty-eighth Street, right? It was the same in Roman times, and the gods were Roman almost as long as they were Greek. It was a big empire, lasted for centuries. So of course their Roman aspects are still a big part of their character."**

**"Makes sense." Jason said.**

_It does?_ Thalia couldn't help but think.

 _I guess that explains how their forms exist..._  Annabeth thought.  _But how often do they change forms?_

**Annabeth shook her head, mystified. "But how do you know all this, Clovis?"**

**"Oh, I spend a lot of time dreaming. I see the gods there all the time- always shifting forms. Dreams are fluid, you know....Like recently, I was watching a Michael Jackson concert, and then I was onstage _with_ Michael Jackson, and we were singing this duet, and I could not remember the words for 'The Girl is Mine'. Oh, man, it was so embarrassing, I-"**

"I didn't know Clovis was so talkative." Connor laughed along with a couple other people.

**"Clovis," Annabeth interrupted. "Back to Rome?"**

**"Right, Rome," Clovis said. "So we call the gods by their Greek names because that's their original form. But saying their Roman aspects are exactly the same- that's not true. In Rome, they became more warlike. They didn't mingle with mortals as much, more powerful- the gods of an empire."**

"Yuck!" Connor commented, sticking out his tongue. A couple demigods muttered in agreement.

**"Like the dark side of the gods?" Annabeth asked.**

**"Not exactly." Clovis said. "They stood for discipline, honor, strength-"**

**"Good things, then," Jason said. For some reason, he felt the need to speak up for the Roman gods, though wasn't sure why it mattered to him.**

**"I mean, discipline is important, right? That's what made Rome last so long."**

Some demigods gave the book baffled looks.

"Sure, if you like being boring." Travis said, rolling his eyes. 

"But don't the Greek gods stand for that too?" Leo asked him.

"Exactly, that's why the Roman gods shouldn't even have existed." Clarisse said. "The Romans should've just worshiped the Greek gods instead of trying to make their own watered down versions."

"That's not what I meant!" Leo squeaked, as some of the gods winced.

"Indeed." Athena agreed. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

" _What?_ " Leo gave the goddess a look of disbelief.

 _Why would Jason be defending the Roman gods?_ Thalia thought feeling as though her stomach was twisting itself into knots.

**Clovis gave him a curious look. "That's true. But the Roman gods weren't very friendly. For instance, my dad, Hypnos... he didn't do much except sleep in Greek times. In Roman times, they called him Somnus. He liked killing people who didn't stay alert at their jobs. If they nodded off at wrong time, _boom-_  they never woke up. He killed the helmsman of Aeneas when they were sailing from Troy.**

"Maybe Annabeth was right about the whole 'dark side thing'." Will said.

"Yeah, that's pretty bad..." Jake added.

Leo grimaced.

The gods exchanged looks.

**"Nice guy," Annabeth said. "But I still don't understand what it has to do with Jason."**

**"Neither do I," Clovis said.**

"So, basically, he was giving us useless information." Clarisse snorted.

"There is no such thing as useless information." the goddess of wisdom said. "This may seem useless now, but it may come in handy later."

**"But if Hera took your memory, only she can give it back. And if I had to meet the queen of the gods, I'd hope she was more in a Hera mood than a Juno mood. Can I go back to sleep now?"**

Annabeth huffed.

"He acts as if Hera is the best choice." Annabeth muttered under her breath.

Nico bit back a chuckle.

**....Annabeth stared at the branch above the fire, dripping Lethe water into the cups. She looked so worried, Jason wondered if she was considering a drink to forget her troubles.**

"I would never do that." Annabeth told Percy. "I don't want to forget all the times I had with you, no matter how hard it gets."

Percy and Annabeth leaned forward to kiss, only to be interrupted when Nico shouted. "Get room!"

Immediately the blushing couple pulled away.

Nico didn't bother hiding the triumphant smile on his face.

Athena gave the son of Hades an approving nod, while Aphrodite slumped in disappointment.

**...."Thanks, Clovis. We'll see you at dinner."**

**"Can I get room service?" Clovis yawned and stumbled to his bunk. "I feel like...zzzz..." He collapsed with his butt in the air and his face buried in pillow.**

**"Won't he suffocate?" Jason asked.**

"I doubt it." Connor said with a shrug. "If he can survive eighty-two pencils in his nose, I think he can sleep with a pillow covering his face."

"How do you know?" Percy asked, face still red.

"I had a lot of free time once."

**"He'll be fine," Annabeth said. "But I'm beginning to think that you are in serious trouble."**

"Finished." Artemis said. Holding the book out, she added. "Does anyone want to read next?"

"I will!" Aphrodite said, taking the book. She was anxious to hear about what to her daughter.


	10. Piper IX

" **Piper IX** ," Aphrodite began, trying not to make it too obvious that she was worried.

**Piper dreamed about her last day with her dad.**

The goddess of love smiled sadly.

**They were on the beach near Big Sur, taking a break from surfing. The morning had been so perfect, Piper knew something had to go wrong soon-**

"Welcome to my world." Leo grumbled, watching Annabeth add the finishing touches to their Lego building. "It's a pretty crappy place."

**a rabid horde of paparazzi, or maybe a great white shark attack. No way her luck could hold.**

**..."Nice job out there, Pipes." He gave her the smile he was famous for: perfect teeth, dimpled chin, a twinkle in his dark eyes that always made grown women scream and ask him to sign their bodies in permanent marker. ( _Seriously_ , Piper thought,  _get a life_.)**

"My thoughts exactly." Artemis muttered.

A few hunters nodded in agreement.

"Can't say I blame them." the goddess of love sighed.  _He is a handsome guy, after all._

**His close-cropped black hair gleamed with salt water.**

Aphrodite suppressed the urge to sigh dreamily.

**"You're getting better at hanging ten."**

**Piper flushed with pride, though she suspected Dad was just being nice. She still spent most her time wiping out. It took special talent to run over yourself with a surfboard.**

Leo laughed at the mental image.

"It just takes practice." Percy said. 

"Says the guy who can control water." Thalia playfully rolled her eyes.

**...Piper would've given up surfing long time ago except it let her spend time with him. There weren't many ways she could do that.**

Aphrodite frowned. 

**...She took the sandwich, though her stomach was too upset to eat. She always asked for PB &J. Piper was a vegetarian, for one thing. She had been ever since they'd driven past that slaughterhouse in Chino and the smell had made her insides want to come outside.**

Imagining the smell, Grover gagged.

"I wouldn't be surprised if more people quit eating meat just by smelling a slaughterhouse." Grover said, his face gaining a green tint.

**But it was more than that. PB &J was simple food, like a regular kid would have for lunch. Sometimes she pretended her dad had actually made it for her, not a personal chef from France who liked to wrap the sandwich in gold leaf paper with a light-up sparkler instead of a toothpick.**

Aphrodite gave the book a sympathetic look.

"He couldn't even do that for her." Annabeth said with a scowl. She couldn't help but think of her own father.

"Maybe he didn't know that was how she felt." Aphrodite couldn't help but say.  _I'm sure if she just tells him how she feels, it'll work out._

**Couldn't anything be simple? That's why she turned down the fancy clothes. Dad always offered, the designer shoes, the trips to the salon.**

Drew, combing her hair with her fingers, rolled her eyes.  _What a waste of money_.

**She cut her own hair with a pair of plastic Garfield safety scissors, deliberately making it uneven.**

"That explains the hair." Aphrodite said thoughtfully.  _Hopefully she'll let it grow out in the future._

Leo threw a nut in the air and caught it.

**...And she hated the snobby private schools Dad thought were good for her. She kept getting herself kicked out. He kept finding more schools.**

Leo tossed the nut in the air again, his hands caught it.

**Yesterday, she'd pulled her biggest heist yet- driving that 'burrowed' BMW out of the dealership.**

"I think that's the closest we're ever going to get to her admitting to stealing, boys." Hermes said sadly.

The Stolls' shoulders slumped and they pouted.

The brothers looked so disappointed, Leo felt bad for them.

**She had to pull a bigger stunt each time, because it took more and more time to get Dad's attention.**

Annabeth understood how that felt. Sure she will never grasp the understanding of living as the upper class, but she could definitely relate to wanting her father's attention.

_Why doesn't he get that?_ Annabeth thought, subconsciously holding onto the college ring on her necklace. 

**....She meant to tell him that morning. Then he'd surprised her with this trip, and she couldn't ruin it. It was the first time they'd had a day together in what- three months?**

Aphrodite and Annabeth sighed.

**"What's wrong?" He passed her a soda.**

**"Dad, there's something-"**

**"Hold on, Pipes. That's a serious face. Ready for Any Three Questions?"**

**They'd been playing that game for years- her dad's way of staying connected in the shortest possible amount of time.**

_Maybe Dad and I can play that game._ Annabeth thought.  _We still have a lot of catching up to do._

**They could ask each other any three questions. Nothing off-limits, and you had to answer honestly. The rest of the time, Dad promised to stay out of her business- which was easy, since he never around.**

A couple people winced at that.

"Ouch!" Connor remarked.

_But..._ Aphrodite trailed off.  _They used to always spend time together. Tristan can't be that busy with work, can he?_

**Piper knew most kids would find a Q &A like this with their parent totally mortifying. But she looked forward to it. It was like surfing- not easy, but a way to feel like she actually had a father.**

"That shouldn't be one of the only ways though..." Annabeth grumbled.

**"First question," she said. "Mom."**

**No surprise. That was always one of her topics.**

"That's a common question for a demigod." said Percy, remembering the times he asked his mom about Dad.

Leo once again tossed the nut in the air.

However, instead of landing in his hands, it crash landed on Travis' head.

"Ouch!" Travis exclaimed. Picking up the nut, he chucked the nut in Leo's direction.

The nut missed the other boy by a long shot and ended up hurtling down the hall.

Leo fidgeted as he pondered what should he do next.

**Her dad shrugged with resignation. "What do you want to know, Piper? I already told you- she disappeared.**

Aphrodite's voice wavered slightly.

"Some sort of story on how you two met would be nice," the daughter of Athena said snappishly. "Or maybe you can say what type of person she was; If Piper looked like her. Ya'know, little details like that would've meant the world to her."

Annabeth looked away and continued fiddling with her necklace. 

**I don't know why, or where she went. After you were born, she simply left. I've never heard from her again."**

**"Do you think she's still alive?"**

**....He stared at the waves.**

**"Your Grandpa Tom," he said at last, "he used to tell me that if you walked far enough toward the sunset, you'd come to Ghost Country, where you could talk to the dead. He said a long time ago, you could bring the dead back; but then mankind messed up. Well, it's a long story."**

"That sounds a lot like Greek myths." Nico remarked.

"I know," Annabeth agreed. "It sounds so similar, it's weird."  _First Romans, now Cherokees? What's next? Ancient Egyptians and Norse mythology?_

**"Like the Land of the Dead for the Greeks," Piper remembered. "It was in west, too. And Orpheus- he tried to bring his wife back."**

**Dad nodded. A year before, he'd had his biggest role as an Ancient Greek king.**

**..."Lot of similarities between Greek and Cherokee," Dad agreed.**

Leo pulled out a small sheet of bubble wrap and began to pop each plastic bubble.

**"Wonder what your grandpa would think if he saw us now, sitting at the end of the western land. He'd probably think we're ghosts."**

**"So you're saying you believe those stories? You think Mom is dead?"**

For his sake, Aphrodite hoped so.

"He really didn't know that Piper's mom was a goddess?" Annabeth muttered, if possible she felt even more sympathetic towards the other girl. At least she knew who her mother was and where she belonged. Piper literally had nothing to go off of other than her dad's vague stories about her.

**His eyes watered,**

Aphrodite's voice wavered again.

**and Piper saw the sadness behind them.**

The goddess of love paused, blinking quickly before she continued.

**She figured that's why women were so attracted to him. On the surface, he seemed confident and rugged, but his eyes held so much sadness....Dad told Piper it was a Cherokee thing- they all had that darkness inside them from generations of pain and suffering. But Piper thought it was more than that.**

"He had to go through so much in his life." the goddess of love muttered  _And I didn't make it any better._

**...."I don't think I could sleep at night. I'd always be looking for someone to blame."**

**Somebody to blame for Grandpa Tom dying of lung cancer, Piper thought, before Dad got famous and had the money to help. For Mom- the only woman he'd ever loved- abandoning him without even a good-bye note, leaving him with a newborn girl he wasn't ready to care for. For his being so successful, and yet still not happy.**

_It was for the best._  Aphrodite reminded herself, bottom lip trembling.

**"I don't know if she's alive," he said. "But I do think she might as well be in the Ghost Country, Piper. There's no getting her back. If I believed otherwise... I don't think I could stand that, either."**

_Oh Tristan!_ Aphrodite sniffled.

**Behind them, a car door opened.**

"Here comes trouble." Percy muttered, he had a good feeling who was going to ruin the moment.

**Piper turned, and her heart sank. Jane was marching toward them in her business suit... The look on her face was partly annoyed, partly triumphant, and Piper knew she'd been in touch with the police.**

_Take a hike,_ _Jane_.  Aphrodite scowled.

"I knew it." Percy said, pushing Clovis' head off his lap. "It's the female version of Smelly Gabe. "

_**Please fall down,** _ **Piper prayed. _If there's any animal spirit or Greek god that can help, make Jane take header. I'm not asking for permanent damage, just knock her out for the rest of the day, please?_**

_I wish I could, Piper._ Aphrodite thought, quickly wiping a tear that managed to slip by.

"Please tell me one of you guys actually did it." Travis pleaded.

"We can't interfere with human affairs." Zeus said sternly.

"Besides, if we did answer all prayers like that, do you now how many times you would've fallen on your face?" Demeter added.

Travis' eyes widened, before turning to glare at Katie.

Katie didn't even bother to hide her smirk.

**But Jane kept advancing.**

**"Dad," Piper said quickly. "Something happened yesterday..."**

**But he'd seen Jane, too...Jane wouldn't be here if it wasn't serious. A studio head called- a project fell through- or Piper had messed up again.**

**"We'll get to that, Pipes," he promised. "I'd better see what Jane wants. You know how she is."**

_He didn't even bother listening to what she had to say._ Annabeth thought.  _He's her boss, he could've just told Jane to wait and listened to Piper for just a few seconds. But of course not!_

The teen gritted her teeth.

**Yes- Piper knew. Dad trudged across the sand to meet her....She was good at reading faces. Jane gave him the facts about the stolen car, occasionally pointing at Piper like she was a disgusting pet that had whizzed on the carpet.**

Aphrodite looked like she was ready to chuck the book through the window.  _Way to ruin the mood! I bet she couldn't wait to tell him._

**...He gestured Jane to wait. Then he walked back to Piper.**

**..."You told me you would try, Piper," he said.**

"Way to go listening to her side of the story instead of jumping to conclusions." Annabeth said sarcastically. "I'm sure this won't hurt her in any way at all."

Percy gave her a one-sided hug.

"You okay?" he whispered in her ear.

Annabeth tried to relax under the hug.

"Yeah, I guess I'm just thinking too much about my dad." she sighed. Forcing her hand to move away from her necklace, she placed it on top of her lap.

**"Dad, I hate that school. I can't do it. I wanted to tell you about the BMW, but-"**

**"They expelled you," he said. "A car, Piper? You're sixteen next year. I would buy you any car you want. How could you-"**

Aphrodite's frown deepened.

_It's like the bonding they had earlier never existed._

"When is he going to realize the  _real_ reason she stole those things?" Annabeth muttered out loud, still trying to calm down.

Leo squirmed a little as Aphrodite read this.

"Um... Do we have to read this part?" Leo asked, gaining everyone's attention. He shifted in his chair. "I mean, this looks  _kinda_  like a private conservation that we shouldn't be looking into."

"I understand where you're coming from." Athena patiently began. "But this is clearly crucial information. This is the last day Piper saw her father before he was kidnapped. There must be some clue in here on where he could've gone or who could've taken him." 

With that the goddess gestured the other to keep reading. 

_Thank gods Piper isn't here._ Leo sighed before he returned his attention to his bubble wrap.

**"You mean,** _**Jane** _

Aphrodite spat the name out like it was something foul.

**would buy me a car?" Piper demanded. She couldn't help it. The anger just welled up and spilled out of her. "Dad, just listen to me for once. Don't make me wait for you to ask your stupid three questions. I want to go to regular school. I want _you_ to me take to parents' night, not Jane.**

Aphrodite grimaced.  _He was even too busy for that?_

**Or home school me! I learned so much when we read about Greece together. We could do that all the time! We could-"**

**"Don't make this about me," her dad said.**

_It is about you!_ Annabeth wanted to shout. She drummed her fingers against her leg.

**"I do the best I can, Piper. We've had this conversation."**

_That's all he can say?!_ Annabeth began to slowly count to ten.

_**No,** _ **she thought. _You've cut off this conservation. For years._**

**Her dad sighed. "Jane's talked to the police, brokered a deal. The dealership won't press charges, but you have to agree to go to a boarding school in Nevada. They specialize in problems... in kids with tough issues."**

**"That's what I am." Her voice trembled. "A problem."**

"That's not true." Hestia said firmly.

Aphrodite nodded, it was far from the truth.

**"Piper, you said you'd try. You let me down. I don't know what else to do."**

"Wow." Annabeth said. There was just so  _so_ many things wrong with that sentence that she couldn't even think of the words to describe it. "Just..."

She breathed in before sighing deeply. "Wow."

**"Do anything," she said. "But do it yourself! Don't let Jane handle it for you. You can't send me away."**

Aphrodite blinked back tears.

**..."Dad..."**

**He looked away, gazing at the ocean like he could all the way to Ghost Country.**

**Piper promised herself she wouldn't cry.**

Aphrodite was also making a similar promise. She squeezed her eyes shut before reading again.

**She headed up the beach toward Jane, who smiled coldly and held up a plane ticket. As usual, she'd already arranged everything.**

"Can someone please push her into the ocean?" Annabeth muttered.

**Piper was just another problem of the day that Jane could check off her list.**

_She sounds like a good wife for a **iguana**. Maybe I should pair the two up. It'll be fun to see what happens. _ Aphrodite slowly smiled at the thought.

**Piper's dream changed.**

_Oh great! Maybe now she'll finally wake up, or dream of something happier._  Aphrodite thought cheerfully.

**She stood on a mountaintop at night, city lights glimmering below.**

**..."This is second warning," a voice rumbled, so powerful it shook the earth.**

**Piper had heard that voice before in her dreams.**

_Or not._ Aphrodite slumped in her chair.

**She tried to convince herself it wasn't as scary as she remembered, but it was worse.**

**Behind the bonfire, a huge face loomed out of the darkness...The face hardly seemed alive except for its piercing white eyes, like raw diamonds, and its horrible frame of dreadlocks, braided with human bones. It smiled, and Piper shivered.**

The wide eyed gods exchanged looks before turning to Zeus.

The demigods had no idea who the voice was, but, judging by the gods' expressions, they knew it was worse then Kronos.

Zeus, unsure of what to do, was rubbing his face with his hands.

"Continue," Zeus ordered through his hands.

**"You'll do what you're told," the giant said. "You'll go on the quest. Do our bidding, and you may walk away alive. Otherwise-"**

**He gestured to one side of the fire. Piper's father was hanging unconscious, tied to a stake.**

Aphrodite whimpered. "I hate demigod dreams!" 

"I think it's safe to say we all do." Leo said, slightly less shaken then the others.

**She tried to cry out. She wanted to call to her dad, and demand the giant to let him go, but her voice wouldn't work.**

_I hate it when that happens._ Leo wrung the bubble wrap like it was a wet towel.

The sounds of popping echoed in the silent room.

**"I'll be watching," the giant said. "Serve me, and you both live. You have the word of Enceladus.**

"Enchiladas?" Percy repeated.

"I-I wish." Trembling, Grover stuttered.

"Are we that unlucky?" Annabeth, visibly paling, asked her mother.

"Apparently." she replied, looking a hundred years older.

**Fail me... well, I've slept for millennia, young demigod. I am very hungry. Fail, and I'll eat well."**

Aphrodite looked ready to faint. It took all her will power to keep reading in a clear voice.

**The giant roared with laughter. The earth trembled. A crevice opened at Piper's feet, and she tumbled into darkness.**

**She woke**

"Finally." Aphrodite sighed, she didn't think she could take any more of that brute threatening her daughter.

**feeling like she'd been trampled by an Irish step-dancing troupe. Her chest hurt, and she could barely breathe. She reached down and closed her hand around the hilt of the dagger Annabeth had given her- Katoptris, Helen of Troy's weapon.**

"Please don't look into it." the goddess of love pleaded. "At least not now."

**So Camp Half-Blood hadn't been a dream.**

**...Piper tried to focus. She was lying in a bed with a white curtain on one side, like in a nurse's office. That redheaded girl, Rachel Dare, sat next to her....**

**"Where-" Piper's voice died when she saw the guy at the door.**

**He looked like a typical California surfer dude- buff and tan, blond hair, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt. But he had hundred of blue eyes all over his body- along his arms, down his legs, and all over his face. Even his feet had eyes, peering up at her from between the straps of his sandals.**

Hera smiled fondly as she heard Argus' description.

"I heard he has an eye on his tongue." Connor whispered to Leo.

"Really?" Leo said skeptically. "Why would he have one there? What happens if he bit his tongue?"

"I don't know," Connor shrugged. "It'll hurt like Hades though."

**"That's Argus," Rachel said, "Our head of security. He's just keeping an eye on things... so to speak."**

Clarisse rolled her eyes.

**Argus nodded. The eye on his chin winked.**

**...."You're in the Big House," Rachel said. "Camp offices. We brought you here when you collapsed."**

**"You grabbed me," Piper remembered. "Hera's voice-"**

**"I'm so sorry about that," Rachel said. "Believe me, it was not my idea to get possessed. Chiron healed you with some nectar-"**

**...Rachel sat forward "Do you remember your vision?"**

"I wish I could forget it." Aphrodite mumbled thinking about Tristan tied to the stake.

**Piper had a moment of dread, thinking she meant the dream about the giant. Then she realized Rachel was talking about what happened in Hera's cabin.**

**"Something's wrong with the goddess," Piper said.**

"Tell me something I don't know." Annabeth muttered.

Percy stifled a laugh.

**"She told me to free her, like she's trapped. She mentioned the earth swallowing us, and a fiery one,**

Annabeth's eyes widened in recognition.

"Oh gods." she muttered.

_Romans, giants, now **her**. How much more do we have against us. _ Annabeth shivered, Percy pulled her closer.

**and something about the solstice."**

**In the corner, Argus made a rumbling sound in his chest. His eyes all fluttered at once.**

**"Hera created Argus," Rachel explained. "He's actually very sensitive when it comes to her safety. We're trying to keep from crying, because last time that happened... well, it caused quite a flood."**

"I'll be back soon." Hera cooed.

_If he has an eye on his tongue, does that mean he could drown if he cries?_ Leo wondered as he scanned the plastic sheet for more bubbles.

**..."So..." Piper tried not to stare as Argus wiped the tears from his elbows. "What's happened to Hera?"**

**"We're not sure," Rachel said. "Annabeth and Jason were here for you, by the way. Jason didn't want to leave you, but Annabeth had a idea- something that might restore his memories."**

**"That's... that's great."**

"Would've been better if it had worked." Thalia muttered.

**Jason had been here for her? She wished she'd been conscious for that... She didn't want their relationship to be just a trick of the Mist.**

_You still have a chance!_ Aphrodite thought happily.

**_Get over yourself,_ she thought. If she was going to save her dad, it didn't matter whether Jason liked her or not. He would hate her eventually. Everyone here would.**

_Was this how Silena felt?_ Clarisse thought with a frown.

**She looked down at the ceremonial dagger strapped to her side. Annabeth had said it was a sign of power and status, but not normally used in battle...She didn't dare unsheathe it again, because she couldn't bear to see her own reflection.**

Aphrodite's smile quickly faded.

**"Don't worry." Rachel squeezed her arm. "Jason seems like a good guy. He had a vision too, a lot like yours. Whatever's happening with Hera- I think you two were meant to work together."**

_Not if I have anything to say about it._ Drew crossed her arms.

**Rachel smiled like this was good news, but Piper's spirits plunged even further... Now Rachel was basically telling her: _Good new! Not only is your dad being captured by a cannibal giant,_**

Aphrodite slightly winced.

_**you also get to betray the guy you like! How awesome is that?** _

"Not awesome at all." Aphrodite said quietly.

**"Hey," Rachel said. "No need to cry. You'll figure it out."**

**Piper wiped her eyes, trying to get control of herself. This wasn't like her. She was supposed to be tough- a hardened car thief, the scourge of L.A. private schools. Here she was crying like a baby.**

Drew snorted.  _Is that really surprising?_

**"How do you know what I'm facing?"**

**Rachel shrugged. "I know it's a hard choice, and your options aren't great. Like I said, I get hunches sometimes. But you're going to be claimed at the campfire. I'm almost sure.** **When you know who your godly parent is, things might be clearer."**

_**Clearer,** _ **Piper thought. _Not necessarily better._**

_Com'on, it won't be that bad._ Aphrodite thought.  _You'll finally know who your mom is and get new siblings. Maybe they'll help you with your nightmares._

Aphrodite perked up at the thought.

**She sat up in bed. Her forehead ached like someone had driven a spike between her eyes. There's no getting your mother back, her dad told her. But apparently, tonight her mom might claim her. For the first time, Piper wasn't sure she wanted that.**

"It's better that, then not being claimed at all." Chris said.

**"I hope it's Athena,"**

Aphrodite momentarily scowled.  _Really? Her? She's okay, I guess..._

"As much as I would like say otherwise, Piper's not my daughter." Athena said with a small smile.

Annabeth frowned in disappointment.  _It would've been fun having her as a sister._

**..."Piper, I don't blame you. Truthfully? I think Annabeth is hoping that too. You guys are a lot alike."**

_More than I first realized._ Annabeth thought with a small smile.

**The comparison made Piper feel even guiltier. "Another hunch? You don't know anything about me."**

**..."You're just saying that because you're an oracle, aren't you? You're supposed to sound mysterious."**

**Rachel laughed. "Don't be giving away my secrets, Piper.**

Apollo laughed at that.

**Things will work out- just maybe not the way you plan."**

**"That's not making me feel better."**

"It's better then things not working out." Leo said, putting the bubble wrap in his tool belt.

**..."Dinner?" Piper guessed.**

**"You slept through it," Rachel said. "Time for the camfire. Let's go find out who you are."**

"Done!" Aphrodite said. "Who's next?"

"I'll read." Hestia, excited to hear who Piper's mother is, said.

Taking the book, the goddess walked back to her hearth in the corner before she began to read.


	11. Piper X

" **Piper X** ," Hestia read.

**The Whole Campfire Idea Freaked Piper it made her think of that huge purple bonfire in the dreams and her father tied to a stake.**

**When she got instead was almost as terrifying:**

Aphrodite stiffened.

**a sing-along.**

"Oh!" she said laughing along with the others.

"Hey! There is nothing wrong with a sing-along! It helps bring people together!" Apollo pouted.

"Not when you sing it every twenty minutes." Artemis said, rolling her eyes.

**...Piper spotted Jason in the front next to Annabeth. Leo was nearby, sitting with a bunch of burly-looking campers under a steel gray banner emblazoned with a hammer.**

**Standing in front of the fire, half a dozen campers with guitars and strange, old fashioned harps- lyres?- were jumping around, leading a song about pieces of armor, something about how their grandma got dressed for war.**

"Sounds like Apollo is writing camp songs again."Artemis groaned.

Apollo dramatically put his hand over his chest. "That one's a classic! Everyone loves that song!"

"It's a catchy song, a lot of people request it." Will admitted.

Apollo smiled and wiggled his eyebrows at his sister, who remained unimpressed.

 **Everybody was singing with them and making gestures for the pieces of armor and joking around...** **As the energy level got higher, the flames did too, turning from red to orange to gold.**

Hestia smiled at this. It was always nice to see her family relax and enjoy each other's company.

**Finally the song ended with a lot of rowdy applause. A guy on a horse trotted...Then she realized it was a centaur- his bottom half was a white stallion, his top half a middle-aged guy with curly hair and a trimmed beard.**

Leo took out a screwdriver and spun it on its side.

**..."What about capture the flag?" somebody yelled. Grumbling broke out among some kids in armor, sitting under a red banner with the emblem of a boar's head.**

"Seriously? Did they forget that there is a dangerous dragon rampaging through the woods?" Percy rolled his eyes.

"Not dangerous." Leo added, spinning the screwdriver faster. 

**"Yes," the centaur said. "I know the Ares cabin is anxious to return to the woods for our regular games."**

**"And kill people!" one of them shouted.**

"Brilliant." Athena said sarcastically while Ares beamed with pride.

 _There's not even killing allowed in the game._ Percy thought with a sigh.

**"However," Chiron said, "until the dragon is brought under control, that won't be possible. Cabin Nine, anything to report on that?"**

**He turned to Leo's group. Leo winked at Piper and shot her with a finger gun.**

Thalia rolled her eyes.

**The girl next to him stood uncomfortably. She wore an army jacket a lot like Leo's, with her hair covered in a red bandanna.**

Nyssa grimaced when she realized that  _she_ had to tell the bad news.

 _Of course it has to be me..._ she thought.

**"We're working on it."**

**..."How, Nyssa?" an Ares kid demanded.**

**"Really hard," the girl said.**

**Nyssa sat down to a lot of yelling and complaining, which caused the fire to sputter chaotically.**

"Sorry..." Jake told his sister. 

"You needed to rest." Nyssa said, tried to say casually with a shrug.

"Those poor kids are under a lot of pressure." Hestia said sympathetically.

Hephaestus let out a long sigh.

**...."We all have to be more patient," Chiron said. "In the meantime, we have more pressing matters to discuss."**

**"Percy?" someone asked. The fire dimmed even further, but Piper didn't need the mood flames to sense the mood flames to sense the crowd's anxiety.**

Percy smiled sadly. It was nice to know so many people cared about him.  _I just wish I didn't have to find out like this._

**..."I didn't find Percy," she announced. Her voice caught a little when she said his name.**

Annabeth chewed her lip and Percy hugged her tighter.

"You'll find me. I'm probably out there trying to get back to Camp." the son of Poseidon said.

 _Or you could be tied to a stake and held hostage by a giant._ Annabeth miserably thought.  _Or be killed by a Roman._

**"He wasn't at the Grand Canyon, like I thought. But we're not giving up. We've got teams everywhere. Grover, Tyson, Nico, the Hunters of Artemis- everyone's out looking.**

"T-Thanks guys." Percy stuttered.

"Don't get used to it." Clarisse said gruffly.

**We will find him. Chiron's talking about something different. A new quest."**

**"It's the Great Prophecy, isn't it?" a girl called out.**

"Unfortunately." Leo muttered, spinning the screwdriver faster.

"Great Prophecy?" Annabeth asked. She looked at the gods for information, but they had no clue. *

"What? I thought we are only having a war!" Katie exclaimed.

"How many of these 'Great' Prophecies are we gonna get?" Travis whined.

**Everyone turned...They'd been chatting among themselves and not paying much attention until their leader stood up: Drew.**

**Everyone looked surprised. Apparently Drew didn't address the crowd very often.**

"Why should I waste my breath, when I have better things to do?" Drew muttered.

**"Drew?" Annabeth said. "What do you mean?"**

**"Well, come on." Drew spread her hands like the truth was obvious. "Olympus is closed. Percy's disappeared. Hera sends you a vision and you come back with three demigods in one day. I mean, something weird is going on. The Great Prophecy has started, right?"**

"It has to," Annabeth agreed with a frown. "It's the only logical explanation for all this."

Drew shrugged as if she knew it all along.

**Piper whispered to Rachel, "What's she talking about- the Great Prophecy?"**

**...Rachel's eyes looked scary in the firelight. Piper was afraid she might clench up and start channeling a freaky peacock goddess again,**

Leo snickered as Hera rolled her eyes.

**but she stepped forward calmly and addressed to the camp.**

**"Yes," she said. "The Great Prophecy has begun."**

The children of the Big Three groaned.

"I swear if I'm in this one too, I'm going to scream." Percy warned.

 _Welp, start screaming._ the son of Hephaestus thought.

**Pandemonium broke out.**

**Piper caught Jason's eye. He mouthed, _You all right?_ She nodded and managed a smile, but then looked away. It was too painful seeing him and not being with him.**

"Aww." Aphrodite cooed.

**...Rachel took another step toward the audience...**

**"For those of you who have not heard it," Rachel said, "the Great Prophecy was my first prediction. It arrived in August.**

"Doesn't Great Prophecies usually take years or decades to come true?" Percy asked Apollo.

The god of the sun deeply frowned. "Usually it does. But sometimes it happens quicker."

"Our luck sucks." Connor declared, everyone agreed.

**It goes like this:**

Annabeth and Athena leaned forward. For once, all eyes were on Hestia.

 _**"Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall-** _ **"**

Leo, stopping the spinning screwdriver, deeply frowned.

**Jason shot to his feet. His eyes looked wild, like he'd just been tasered.**

"Um... Is he okay?" Travis asked no one in particular.

**Even Rachel seemed caught off guard. "J-Jason?" she said. "What's-"**

_**"Ut cum spiritu postrema dejuremus,"** _ **he chanted. _"Et hostes ornamenta addent ad ianuam necern."_**

Silence.

"Uh..I...I think he just finished the prophecy in Latin." Percy said, after some mental decoding.

"That's impossible." Annabeth argued. " _We_ didn't even hear the prophecy yet. How did Jason know it?"

Leo searched in his tool belt for more things to keep his attention.

 **An uneasy silence settled on the group...** **"You just... finished the prophecy," Rachel stammered. "- _An oath to keep a final breath/And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death._ How did you-"**

**"I know those lines." Jason winced and put his hands to his temples. "I don't know how, but I know that prophecy."**

_Do the other Romans know too?_ Annabeth wondered.  _But why would they know our prophecy? What would they do with it?_

**"In Latin, no less," Drew called out. "Handsome _and_ smart."**

" _Shut up_ Drew," Thalia muttered, rolling her eyes.

**There was some giggling from the Aphrodite cabin. God, what a bunch of losers, Piper thought.**

A few Aphrodite children gasped at the offense.

The hunters hummed in agreement.

"Says the girl who doesn't know how to use scissors properly." Drew grumbled.

**But it didn't do much to break the tension. The campfire was burning a chaotic, nervous shade of green.**

_The fire's color probably didn't help with the mood either._ Hestia thought, missing the bright colors it once had.

 **Jason sat down, looking embarrassed,** **but Annabeth put a hand on his shoulder and muttered something reassuring. Piper felt a pang of jealously. It should have been her next to him, comforting him.**

"Awww, look, she's jealous! Isn't that cute?" Aphrodite asked Ares while she shook his arm.

"I guess." Ares said with a shrug.

**Rachel Dare still looked shaken. She glanced back at Chiron for guidance, but the centaur stood grim and silent, as if he were watching a play he couldn't interrupt- a tragedy that ended with a lot of people dead onstage.**

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What did the book just say?!" Travis yelled as the tension built up in the room.

"I'm not reading it again" Hestia said, looking depressed.

Leo pulled out some clay and began to roll it into a ball.

**"Well," Rachel said, trying to regain her composure. "So, yeah, that's the Great Prophecy. We hoped it might not happen for years, but I fear it's starting now. I can't give you proof. It's just a feeling. And like Drew said, some weird stuff is happening. The seven demigods, whoever they are, have not been gathered yet. I get the feeling some are here tonight. Some are not here."**

_Then where are they? Are they unclaimed demigods?_ Annabeth wondered.  _Or are they the Romans?... No, that can't be right. Why would they help us? We're enemies._

**The campers began to stir and mutter, looking at each other nervously, until a drowsy voice in the crowd called out, "I'm here! Oh... were you calling roll?"**

A few people chuckled.

**..."Anyway," Rachel continued, "we don't know what the Great Prophecy means. We don't know what challenge the demigods will face, but since the first Great Prophecy predicted the Titan War, we can guess the second Great Prophecy will predict something least that bad."**

**"Or worse," Chiron murmured.**

"Good old Chiron, always so optimistic." Connor muttered.

"He always knows when to put everyone at ease." Travis nervously laughed. "I can feel myself calming down already."

**Maybe he didn't mean everyone to overhear, but they did. The campfire immediately turned dark purple, the same color as Piper's dream.**

Aphrodite shuddered.

Hestia's shoulders slumped as she continued reading.

**"What we do know," Rachel said, "is that the first phase has begun. A major problem has arisen, and we need a quest to solve it. Hera, the queen of gods, has been taken."**

**...Chiron pounded his hoof again, but Rachel still had to wait before she could get their attention.**

Leo pushed the ball of clay back and forth for a bit, before squashing it flat again.

**...Then Rachel told them about Piper passing out in Hera's cabin. Piper tried to keep a calm expression, even when she noticed Drew in the back row, pantomiming a faint,**

Aphrodite frowned.  _Why is she antagonizing Piper? They just met. Why can't they just get along?_

The goddess took a deep breath and sighed.  _They'll get along better when they realize their siblings._ she reassured herself.  _They'll probably end up having a relationship like Apollo and Artemis._

Aphrodite giggled to herself.

**and her friends giggling. Finally Rachel told them about Jason's vision in the living room of the Big House. The message Hera delivered there was so similar that Piper got a chill. The only difference: Hera had warned Piper not to betray her. _Bow to his will, and their kind shall rise, dooming us all._ Hera  _knew_ about the giant's threat. But if that was true, why hadn't she warned Jason, and exposed Piper as an enemy agent?**

"Because she wants Piper to make the choice for herself." Hestia smiled fondly at Hera.

The younger sister smiled back.

 _I doubt it._ Annabeth thought.

**"Jason," Rachel said. "Um... do you remember your last name?"**

Thalia held her breath.

**He looked self-conscious, but he shook his head.**

Thalia let out a small sigh of relief. She wasn't ready to face the confrontation of her friends yet.

**"We'll just call you Jason, then," Rachel said. "It's clear Hera herself issued you on a quest."**

**Rachel paused, as if giving a chance to protest his destiny. Everyone's eyes were on him; there was so much pressure, Piper thought she would've buckled in his position.**

"I wouldn't be surprised." Drew murmured.

Leo molded the clay into a pyramid, before crushing it with his fist.

**...He set his jaw and nodded. "I agree."**

**...."That's the council day of the gods," Annabeth said. "if the gods don't already know Hera's gone, they'll definitely notice her absence by then. They'll probably break out fighting, accusing each other of taking her. That's what they usually do."**

"True," Poseidon shrugged. "Zeus would probably accuse me first too."

"I would not!" Zeus protested.

"Yes you would. Then Hades would watch us argue for a little while before going back to the Underworld and the others would eventually be on either your side or mine. Later we'll continue fighting and Hades will somehow get roped in, even though he was trying to avoid it in the first place."

"How do you know?" Zeus said doubtfully.

"Because we always fight! We're fighting right now!"

"We are  _not_ fighting!" Zeus argued. "We're just having... a disagreement."

Poseidon just looked at him as if to say:  _Are you serious?_

**"The winter solstice," Chiron spoke up, "is also the time of great darkness. The gods gather that day, as mortals always have, because there is strength in numbers. The solstice is a day when magic is strong. Ancient magic, older than the gods. It is a day when things... stir."**

**The way he said it, stirring sounded absolutely sinister- like it should be a first-degree felony, not something you did to cookie dough.**

"He's that talented." Connor said.

"Can Chiron at least pretend that everything's going to be okay? For us?" Katie asked.

Leo turned his clay into a cube then he sandwiched it in between his hands.

**..."Why hasn't he been claimed?" somebody yelled from the Ares cabin. "If he's so important-"**

**"He has been claimed," Chiron announced. "Long ago. Jason give them a demonstration."**

**...He stepped forward nervously, but Piper couldn't help thinking how amazing he looked with his blond hair glowing in the firelight, his regal features like a Roman statues's.**

" _Roman statue's?_ " Thalia said, unintentionally sounding offended. "Doesn't she mean, Ancient Greek?"

"Is it really that big of a deal?" Leo asked. "I mean, a statue's a statue, right?"

"But he doesn't look like that." Thalia insisted. "He looks Greek." 

"How would you know?" Annabeth asked as casually as she could.

Thalia hesitated before shrugging. 

"His description sounds Greek to me." she replied.

**...Jason reached into his pocket. His coin flashed in the air, and when he caught it in his hand, he was holding a lance- a rod of gold about seven feet long, with a spear tip at one end.**

"Wasn't that a sword?" Chris asked. "How exactly does that thing work?"

**..."Wasn't that..." Annabeth hesitated. "I thought you had a sword."**

**"Um, it came up tails, I think," Jason said. "Same coin, long-range weapon form."**

**"Dude, I want one!" yelled somebody from Ares cabin.**

**"Better than Clarisse's electric spear, Lamer!" one of his brothers agreed.**

"Who said that?!" Clarisse yelled, face turning red.

"I'm positive that's not true." Chris quickly assured his girlfriend. "L- er... Maimer is a great weapon."

**"Electric," Jason murmured, like it was a good idea. "Back away."**

**...Jason raised his javelin, and broke open the sky... Lightening arched down though the golden spear point and hit the campfire with the force of an artillery shell.**

**...A burning log had impaled a few inches from the sleeping kid Clovis, who hadn't even stirred.**

Connor let out a impressed low whistle. "I always knew Clovis could sleep through anything."

Leo made the clay into a lumpy star before rolling it back into a ball.

**Jason lowered his lance. "Um... sorry."**

**...[Chiron] grimaced as if his worse fears had been confirmed. "A little overkill, perhaps, but you've made your point. And I believe we know who your father is."**

**"Jupiter," Jason said. "I mean, Zeus. Lord of the Sky."**

"He really needs to start getting these names right." Thalia said, crossing her arms.

**Piper couldn't help smiling. It made perfect sense. The most powerful god, the father of all the greatest heroes in the ancient myths-**

"Hestia, please read a little faster for this part." Poseidon said, ignoring Zeus's superior look on his face. "Any more ego boosting and Zeus's head might explode."

The goddess giggled as she did as she was told.

**no one else could possibly be Jason's dad.**

**..."Hold it!" [Annabeth] said. "How can he be the son of Zeus? The Big Three... their pact not to have mortal kids...**

"Didn't work." Hermes completed.

**how could we not have known about him sooner?"**

"He could've been a loner, like us." Thalia said.  _But that doesn't explain how he escaped the wolves._

"But why didn't he get claimed in Camp? What's the point in claiming him in a place where other people wouldn't see or understand it." Percy said, imagining Jason getting claimed in a grocery store.

**..."The important thing," Rachel said, "is that Jason's here now. He has a quest to fulfill, which means he will need his own prophecy."**

**...Two campers rushed forward and caught her. A third ran to the side of the amphitheater and grabbed a bronze three-legged stool, like they'd trained for the duty.**

"They need to." Apollo said happily. "It's important my oracle doesn't injure herself while she's giving a prophecy."

**They eased Rachel onto the stool in front of the ruined hearth...Emerald smoke issued from her mouth. The voice that came out was raspy and ancient- the sound a snake would make if it could talk:**

Percy shuddered.  _I don't think I'll ever be used to seeing Rachel like that._

**_"Child of lightning, beware the earth,_ **

_Her too?!_ Annabeth gasped.  _No, it can't be, she's been asleep for so long. It has to mean something else._

**_The giants revenge the seven shall birth,_ **

**_The forge and dove shall break the cage,_ **

**_And death unleash through Hera's rage."_ **

_Great_ ," Thalia said sarcastically. "Are you sure we can't leave her in there."

"No!" Hera replied venomously glaring the teen. "Didn't you hear Chiron? I'm the glue that holds this family together!"

Hermes, Hephaestus, and Artemis rolled their eyes.

**On the last word, Rachel collapsed, but her helpers were waiting to catch her. They carried her away from the hearth and laid her in the corner to rest.**

Apollo nodded his head with approval.

"So practiced, it's nice to see my Oracle being taken care of."  _And not put into the attic._ the god said.

 **"Is that normal?" Piper asked.** **Then she realized she'd spoken into the silence, and everyone was looking at her. "I mean... does she spew green smoke a lot?"**

A couple people laughed at this.

"At least it wasn't the mummy? Can you imagine Piper's reaction?" Connor snickered.

"Nightmares for life." Travis said.

"She wasn't that bad!" Apollo argued. 

Leo made a clay car (it looked more like a circle with wheels), before flattening it again.

**"Gods, you're dense!" Drew sneered. "She just issued a prophecy- Jason's prophecy to save Hera! Why don't you just-"**

"She's new to Camp," Aphrodite reminded Drew. "She still has a lot to learn and since you've been there the longest, you should take time to explain it to her."

Drew snorted.  _Why should I?_

**"Drew," Annabeth snapped. "Piper asked a fair question Something about that prophecy definitely isn't normal. If breaking Hera's cage unleashes her death and causes a bunch of death... Why should we free her. It might be a trap, or- or maybe Hera will turn on her rescuers. She's never been kind to heroes."**

"I am after they save me." Hera said, crossing her arms.

**Jason rose. "I don't have much choice. Hera took my memory. I need it back. Besides, we can't just not help the queen of the heavens if she's in trouble."**

"Exactly!" Hera said.

 **[Nyssa]** **"Maybe. But you should listen to Annabeth. Hera can be vengeful. She threw her son- our dad- down a mountain just he was ugly."**

"It was in the heat of the moment! I wasn't thinking it through!" Hera defended.

Hephaestus glared daggers at his mother. "Is that the best excuse you can come up with?"

"I already said sorry, what more do you want?"

"A sincere apology would be nice! I had to trap you on your own throne for you to even acknowledge me!"

"I gave you a place on Olympus and a beautiful wife!"

"A beautiful wife who  _cheats_ on me!" the god yelled back.

Aphrodite put her hands on her hips.

"Are you really the one to talk?" she said, jerking her head at Leo.

Said boy looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Why are you bringing me into this?!" he exclaimed.  _He has other kids in this room ya'know!_

Hestia hurriedly continued reading before things could escalate further. 

**" _Real_ ugly," snickered a girl from Aphrodite.**

Hephaestus silently glared at Hera who pointedly looked away.

**"Shut up!" Nyssa growled. "Anyway, we've also got to think- why beware the earth? And what's the giants' revenge? What are we dealing with here that's powerful enough to kidnap the queen of the heavens?"**

_Hopefully, not what I think it is._ Annabeth thought.

**No one answered, but Piper noticed Annabeth and Chiron having a silent exchange. Piper thought it went something like:**

**Annabeth: _The giants' revenge... no, it can't be._**

**Chiron: _Don't speak of it here. Don't scare them._**

"Is it that bad?" Katie asked, gulping.

**Annabeth: _You're kidding me! We can't be_ that  _unlucky._**

**Chiron: _Later, child. If you told them everything, they would be too terrified to proceed._**

"It's that bad." Nico said.

**...Annabeth took a deep breath. "It's Jason's quest," she announced, "so it's Jason's choice. Obviously, he's the child of lightning. According to tradition, he may choose any two companions."**

**Someone from the Hermes cabin yelled, "Well, you, obviously, Annabeth. You've got the most experience."**

"True," Annabeth admitted. "But the prophecy has already chosen who should go."

**"No, Travis," Annabeth said.**

"Hey look! I'm in the story!" Travis gloated to his brother.

Connor huffed. "I bet this is the only time."

**"First off, I'm not helping Hera. Every time I've tried, she's deceived me, or it's come back to bite me later. Forget it. No way.**

"I don't need your help anyway." Hera grumbled.

**Secondly, I'm leaving first thing in the morning to find Percy."**

**"It's connected," Piper blurted out, not sure how she got the courage. "You know that's true, don't you? This whole business, your boyfriend's disappearance- it's all connected."**

"But... how? Am I on some kind of quest too?" Percy asked.

"What kind of quest would have you disappear without telling anybody?" Grover commented.

**..."It says who _I_  pick," Jason agreed. " _The forge and dove shall_   _break the cage_. The forge is the symbol of Vul- Hephaestus."**

**Under the Cabin Nine banner, Nyssa's shoulders slumped, like she'd just been given a heavy anvil to carry.**

"Sorry." Jake, feeling guilty, said to his sister.

Nyssa sighed. "It's not your fault."

**"If you have to beware the earth," she said, "you should avoid traveling overland. You need air transport."**

"How?" Katie asked. "I thought Annabeth broke the chariot."

"They could use the Pegasi." Aphrodite suggested.

**Piper was about to call out that Jason could fly.**

Leo flattened the clay tree.

**But then she thought better of it. That was for Jason to tell them, and he wasn't volunteering the information. Maybe he figured he'd freaked them out enough for one night.**

"I think they had enough excitement for one day." Athena agreed.

**"The flying chariot's broken," Nyssa continued, "and the pegasi, we're using them to search for Percy. But maybe Hephaestus cabin can help figure out something else to help.**

"I doubt it would work because of the curse." Hermes said. "And they only have four days to get there."

**With Jake incapacitated, I'm senior camper. I can volunteer for the quest."**

Nyssa looked miserable.

**Then Leo stood up. He'd been so quiet, Piper almost forgotten he was there, which was totally not like Leo.**

"I can be quiet when I want to." Leo huffed.

**"It's me," he said.**

Nyssa sighed with relief.

**...Jason studied him for a moment. Piper was sure he was going to tell Leo no. Then he smiled. "We started this together, Leo. Seems only right you come along. You find us a ride, you're in."**

**"Yes!" Leo pumped his fist.**

"I never seen someone so happy to be on a life threatening quest before." Chris chuckled.

**"It'll be dangerous," Nyssa warned him. "Hardship, monsters, terrible suffering. Possibly none of you will come back alive."**

" _Ppffft! Please_ , I live for danger." Leo said with a dismissive wave. "Danger's my middle name."

"If you say so..." his sister said with a shrug.

**"Oh." Suddenly Leo didn't look so excited. Then he remembered everyone was watching. "I mean... Oh, cool! Suffering? I love suffering! Let's do this."**

"That's the spirit!" Hermes cheered, laughing along with Apollo and his sons.

"Either you had no idea what you were getting yourself into," Thalia said. "Or, you're an idiot."

"I think it's a little bit of both." Leo smiled.

**Annabeth nodded. "Then, Jason you only need to choose the third member. The dove-"**

**"Oh, absolutely!" Drew was on her feet and flashing Jason a smile. "The dove is Aphrodite. Everybody knows that. I am _totally_ yours."**

"No." Thalia said almost immediately. "No way. Is there anybody else in Cabin Ten who's willing to go?"

None of the other Aphrodite kids said anything.

Drew giggled. "Don't be silly, it has to be me! No one else is volunteering, so I'm willing to risk my life to rescue Hera."

"This isn't a  _game_ ," Thalia stressed. "This is life or death. You might not make it."

The daughter of Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "Don't you think I already know that?"

The huntress scowled.

**Piper's hands clenched. She stepped forward. "No."**

"Why is everybody trying to stop me from going on this quest? Can't you see I'm doing you a favor?" Drew snapped.

**..." _I_ had the vision of Hera; not you. I have to do this."**

**"Anyone can have a vision," Drew said. "You were just at the right place at the right time."**

"I don't think it works like that." Katie told Drew.

"So what? It's not like she can go anyway. She's not a child of Aphrodite." she responded.

The goddess of love bit her lip.

**She turned to Jason. "Look, fighting is all fine, I suppose. And people who build things..."**

**She looked at Leo in disdain. "Well, I suppose someone has to get their hands dirty. But you need _charm_ on your side. I can be persuasive. I could help a lot."**

"Why are you suddenly so interested in going on a quest?" Annabeth asked Drew. "You never wanted to go on a quest before."

Drew ignored her, instead, she turned her attention back to her nails.

Leo rolled the clay cake (that looked more like a cookie) back into a ball.

**The campers started murmuring about how Drew _was_ pretty persuasive. Piper could see Drew winning them over. Even Chiron was scratching his beard, like Drew's participation suddenly made to him.**

Drew smirked.

 _Poor Piper._ she thought with mock sympathy.  _Didn't stand a chance._

**"Well..." Annabeth said. "Given the wording of the prophecy-"**

**"No!" Piper's own voice sounded strange in her ears- more insistent, richer in tone. "I'm supposed to go."**

**...Everyone started nodding, muttering that hmm, Piper's point of view made sense too.**

"What?!" Drew exclaimed.  _Did Dumpster Queen just-_ _No! No! It can't be! Maybe I just lost control for a little while, yeah, that's it!_

Will frowned. "How could she have made a point? She didn't even form an argument."

**..."Get over it!" Drew snapped at the crowd. "What can Piper do?"**

**Piper tried to respond, but her confidence started to wane. What _could_ she offer?**

"A lot more things then  _I_ could." Leo muttered, flattening the ball again.

**She wasn't a fighter, or a planner, or a fixer. She had no skills except getting into trouble and occasionally convincing people to do stupid things.**

**Plus, she was a liar. She needed to go on this quest for reasons that were beyond Jason- and if she did go, she'd end up betraying everyone there...How could she make a choice like that- between helping her father and helping Jason?**

"It's impossible." Percy frowned, knowing he would be in a similar predicament if he had to choose between his mom or Annabeth.

**"Well," Drew said smugly, "I guess that settles it."**

**Suddenly there was a collective gasp. Everyone stared at Piper like she'd just exploded. She wondered what she'd done wrong. Then she realized there was a reddish glow around her.**

"She's finally getting claimed!" Hestia excitedly exclaimed.

**She looked above her, but there was no burning symbol like the one that appeared over Leo. Then she looked down and yelped.**

**Her clothes... what in the world was she _wearing_?... she was adorned in a beautiful white sleeveless gown that went down to her ankles, with a V-neck so low it was totally embarrassing.**

"I'm sure it wasn't  _that_ bad." Aphrodite giggled. Her voice was the only one speaking in the stunned silence. "I'm sure Jason liked it."

"I think he likes it more than Piper does." Leo added, unfazed by Piper's sudden change in clothes.

"I think so too." The goddess of love smiled.

After snapping out of her daze, Hestia continued.

**..."Oh gods," she said. "What's happened?"**

**...Her hair was perfect: lush and long and chocolate brown, braided with gold ribbons down one side so it fell across her shoulder.**

Aphrodite sighed. She was so glad she fixed Piper's hair.

**She even wore makeup, better than Piper would ever know how to do herself- subtle touches that made her lips cherry red and brought out all different colors in her eyes.**

**She was... she was...**

**"Beautiful," Jason exclaimed. "Piper, you... you're a knockout."**

"Awww! Jason's too much sometimes!" Aphrodite exclaimed, hugging stunned Ares' arm.

"Piper's... _your_ daughter?" Artemis said, still recovering from the fact that she had wanted a child of  _Aphrodite's_ as a hunter.

"Of course she is!"

"B-But..." Annabeth trailed off. It never crossed her mind that Aphrodite could be Piper's mother. She thought it might've been a minor goddess.

"You guys are nothing..."

"Alike?" Aphrodite finished. Seeing the quick nods, Aphrodite giggled again.

"Of course she's not exactly like me! Piper's the perfect combination of me and her father! Just like all my children are!"

Aphrodite turned and smiled lovingly at her children.

Lacy, Mitchell, and the other fourteen smiled back, but Drew looked at her mother as if she just spat on her best designer shoes.

Aphrodite's smile wavered when she saw Drew's glare

"D-Drew? Aren't you happy? You have a sister!"

"I already have ten." Drew said flatly.

"B-But, the more the merrier, right?" Aphrodite's smile became more strained.

Drew ignored her.

**...Drew's face was full of horror and revulsion. "No!" she cried. "Not possible!"**

_My thoughts exactly._ Drew thought, purposely avoiding her mother's eye contact.

**"This isn't me," Piper protested. "I- don't understand."**

**Chiron the centaur folded his front legs and bowed to her, and all the campers followed his example.**

**"Hail, Piper McLean," Chiron announced gravely, as if he were speaking at her funeral.**

" _Geez_ , has anybody heard Chiron smiling  _once_ in this chapter?" Travis asked.

**"Daughter of Aphrodite, lady of the doves, goddess of love."**

Drew scowled.  _I can't believe this is happening to me right now. I think I'm going to throw up._

"I'm done." Hestia said. "Does anybody want to next?"

"I will." Percy said, taking the book.

" **Leo XI** ," Percy began.

Leo's eyes widened. His hands abruptly dropped his clay.

"Uh... Percy?" Leo said, laughing nervously. "I think you skipped a chapter. We have one more Piper chapter before I'm next."

"No, you're next." Percy said with a slight frown.

"This was the last Piper chapter," Nico corrected. "We just read two, remember?"

Leo paused when he realized the son of Hades was right. Time went by so fast, he could've sworn...

 _Stupid ADHD!_ Leo mentally cursed before forcing himself to smile.

"Oh yeah!" he said with a fake laugh. "You're right! Hey, do you guys think we can take a break before we read? I'm in the mood for some pizza-"

"No." Athena said firmly, obviously aware Leo was trying to stall. "We are reading this chapter now."

 _Great._ Leo's hands brushed his hair back.

" **Leo XI** ," Percy read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *~ Remember, the demigods don't find out about the Great Prophecy until the near end of the book.


	12. Leo XI

" **Leo XI** ," Percy began.

Leo scowled and stared up at the cracked ceiling.

**Leo Didn't Stick Around After Piper turned beautiful. Sure, it was amazing and all- _She's got makeup! It's a miracle!-_**

"It is a miracle in its own right." Aphrodite giggled. 

"Yeah, she actually managed to look half-way decent." Drew said under her breath.

**but Leo had problems to deal with.**

"The transportation?" Katie guessed.

Leo, drumming his fingers on his leg, nodded.

**He ducked out of the amphitheater and ran into darkness, wondering what he'd gotten himself into.**

**He stood up in front of a bunch of stronger, braver demigods and volunteered- _volunteered_ \- for a mission that would probably get him killed.**

"I appreciate you volunteering for me." Nyssa said, Jake nodded his head.

"It was very brave." he said. "I don't know what I would've done if I were you."

Leo shrugged. 

"I did what I had to do." he replied, rummaging through his pockets.

**He hadn't mentioned seeing Tia Callida, his old babysitter, but as soon as he'd heard about Jason's vision- the lady in the black dress and shawl- Leo knew it was the same woman.**

This earned him sympathetic and pitying looks.

"I'm  _so_ sorry." Hermes said sincerely. 

"That must've been so hard." Aphrodite added, sadly shaking her head.

Thalia grimaced. She could only imagine what her life would be like if Hera raised her.

"I'm surprised you're still alive." Annabeth said, looking at Leo in a whole new light.

Hephaestus glared at Hera. If looks could kill, she would have been vaporized into dust.

"First you ruin  _my_  life, now you ruin  _my son's_?" he snarled. *

Hera scowled.

"Why are all of you reacting like this?!" the goddess snapped. "Have you forgotten who I am?!"

She straightened her posture in her throne.

"I am Hera, goddess of marriage, home, and  _family._ " she stressed, earning a collective eye roll from the group. "If anyone knows how to raise children, it would be me!"

"Funny, I thought it would be the goddess of motherhood." Artemis said.

"No kidding." Apollo agreed. 

"Don't bring  _her_ up in my throne room!" Hera snapped.

She turned to her son.

"And as for  _you,_ how dare you accuse me of ruining his life! I trained him to be a warrior; I taught him; I bathed him; I fed him; I was there for all his firsts! So tell me," Hera put her hand under her chin in mock thought. "Where were you?"

The god of fire looked like he'd been slapped.

"Don't talk to me like that in front my children! You know why I couldn't be there." Hephaestus growled.

"Same reason why I couldn't be there." the goddess said, looking unimpressed. "Yet, there I was, watching him blow out the candle on his first birthday."

She smiled while the god grit his teeth.

 _We've only read a couple sentences and this chapter's already off to a great start._ Leo thought sarcastically.

Percy quickly started reading again.

**His evil babysitter was the queen of the gods. Stuff like that could really deep-fry your brain.**

"You got that right." Katie said, still trying to figure out why would Hera want to babysit an illegitimate child.

**He trudged toward the woods and tried not to think about his childhood- all the messed-up things that had led to his mother's death but he couldn't help it.**

_You're kidding me, right? We're not actually going to do this..._ Leo grimaced.

He took out the tin of breath mints.

Putting a couple mints in his mouth, he tossed the tin back and forth between his hands, half hoping the noise would be louder then Percy's.

Percy glanced at Leo and started reading louder.

**The first time Tia Callida tried to kill him, he must've been about two.**

"You tried to kill a two year old?" Thalia asked, although she didn't look entirely surprised.

"Didn't I  _just_ say I was training him?" Hera said when some people looked at her with disgust. "Honestly, it's like you people believe I'm some sort of monster."

"You 'trained' Ares too and look at him now." Hephaestus muttered, pinching the flames on his beard out.

Said god of war was lazily throwing knives up into the ceiling.

"What's wrong with him?" the goddess asked incredulously. "He is the very definition of a talented warrior."

 _More like a talent less meathead._ Percy thought.

**..."Let's set you down for a nap," she said. "Let's see if you are my brave little hero, eh?"**

"What exactly does that mean?" Annabeth asked, with narrowed eyes.

**...She nestled him into his blankets in a warm mound of red and yellow- pillows? The bed was like a cubby hole in the wall, made of blackened bricks, with a metal shot over his head and a square hole far above, where he could see the stars.**

"Please don't tell me you put Leo where I think you put him." Hestia said sadly.

"It wouldn't have hurt him." her sister told her.

 _That's not the point_. Hestia thought with a sigh.

**He remember resting comfortably, grabbing at sparks like fireflies... Somewhere nearby, Tia Callida sat in her rocking chair- _creak, creak, creak_ \- and sang a lullaby. Even at two, Leo knew the difference between English and Spanish, and he remembered being puzzled because Tia Callida was singing in a language that was neither.**

"You have a good memory." Athena noted, impressed.

"T-Thanks." Leo said, mentally cursing when he stuttered. His trembling hand shook the box harder.

He suddenly felt a squeeze on his shoulder, he turned to see Katie worriedly looking at him.

"How are you doing?" she asked.

 _Terrible._ "Fine, would be better if we stopped though." he said as casually as he could.

Katie frowned.

"You know we can't do that." she said apologetically. 

"I know..." he answered. "But that doesn't mean you can't skip parts."

"Remember how the last chapter told us about Enceladus?" she reminded him. "We would've never known who kidnapped Piper's dad if we had just skipped it."

"I guess." he said shortly, offering her a mint. She opened the box and took one. "Still wish I didn't have to be here."

**Everything was fine until his mother came home. She screamed and raced over to snatch him up, yelling at Tia Callida, 'How could you?'**

_Overreacting as always._ Hera rolled her eyes.

**... Only years later had he realized he'd been sleeping in a blazing fireplace.**

"Hera..." Hestia looked disappointed.  _In a hearth too._

"Seriously?" Annabeth looked at her as if she was an complete idiot.

"He's fire resistant! The flames wouldn't have hurt him."

 _How did you find out he was fire resistant in the first place?_ Nico wondered.  _Babies don't exactly come with an instruction manual telling you those type of things._

**The weirdest thing? Tia Callida hadn't been arrested or even banished from their house.**

_Esperanza must have been desperate, if she was willing to give her a second chance._ Hephaestus grimaced.

**She appeared again several times over the next few years. Once when Leo was three, she let him play with knives.**

Hephaestus's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

" _Knives?!_ You let the boy play with  _knives_?!" he wheezed.

"He needed the early experience with handling a weapon." Hera stubbornly replied.

"Do you hear yourself right now?! He was three!" 

"Ares started earlier than him!" 

"The only thing that kept Ares alive was his immortality!" the god snapped. "Children at that age shouldn't even be using scissors, much less knives!" 

**"You must learn your blades early," she insisted,**

"I can't believe I have to hear this for the second time." the god said, feeling a headache begin.

**"if you are to be my hero someday."**

**Leo managed not kill himself, but he got the feeling Tia Callida wouldn't have cared one way or the other.**

"Wouldn't surprise me." Thalia muttered.

**When Leo was four,**

The box was shaken harder.

"Leo," Chris said. "Could you please stop shaking that box? I'm having a hard time hearing Percy."

 _That's the point._ Leo wanted to say, but he restrained himself.

"Sure, Chris." Leo said instead. Reluctantly, he put the breath mints away.

Humming loudly to himself, Leo quickly kept himself busy by pulling the buttons on his jacket.

**Tia found a rattlesnake for him in a cow pasture.**

**She gave him a stick and encouraged him to poke the animal.**

The god of fire said nothing. Instead he hid his face in his hands.

 _I'm going to trap her._ he decided.  _I'm going to trap her in a box, lock it, and eat the key. Then, I'm going to bury her in a place that no one can find her ever again. North Dakota, maybe? Utah? Or how about somewhere on the border of Canada? Nobody would ever think to look there._

"Fates..." Athena said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Where do I even begin...?"

"It's a test of bravery." Ares explained, sticking another knife on the ceiling.

"Thank you!  _Finally_ someone who understands!" Hera exclaimed.

"I don't think he counts." Hades said.

Still humming, Leo rolled the clay ball back and forth.

**"Where is your bravery, little hero? Show me the Fates were right to choose you."**

**Leo stares down at those amber eyes, hearing the dry _shh- shh- ssh_ of the snake's rattle. He couldn't bring himself to poke the snake. It didn't seem fair.**

"That and it could kill you." Nico said under breath.

**...The last time she babysat him, Leo was five.**

_Oh thank gods, it's nearly over._ Leo sighed with relief.  _Can the chapter please be done now._  

**She brought him a pack of crayons and a pad of paper... While Tia Callida sang her strange songs, Leo drew a picture of the boat he'd seen in flames, with colorful sails and rows of oars, a curved stern, and an awesome masthead...a wind snatched the picture away. It flew into the sky and disappeared.**

**..."It isn't time yet, little hero. Someday, you'll have your quest. You'll find your destiny, and your hard journey will finally make sense.**

_I hope so._ Leo left the clay alone and retied his shoes.

**But you must face many sorrows. I regret that, but heroes cannot be shaped any other way."**

**...A few minutes later, Leo's mom came out and shrieked with horror. Tia Callida was gone, but Leo sat in the middle of a smoking fire...**

Leo stopped in the middle of tying his shoes and looked for something in his tool belt.

**...That made her, what- his godly grandmother? His family was even more messed up than he realized.**

"More than you can imagine." Thalia admitted.

Leo pulled out a stop watch and began to take it apart.

**..."She can't come back again." His mom had a beautiful face with kind eyes, and curly dark hair, but she looked older than she was because of hard work... She was the first person from her family to graduate from college...**

Hephaestus smiled sadly.

Leo let out a shaky sigh.

 _I'm **not** letting a stupid book get to me. _He blinked quickly.

Katie squeezed his shoulder again.

Humming a random tune, he pushed the pieces of the stop watch to his left and looked in his tool belt.

**No one would hire her.**

**No company would take her seriously,**

"It's probably because she's a woman." Artemis scowled.

**so she ended up in the machine shop, trying to make enough money to support the two of them...She'd even taught him Morse code as a kind of game, so they could tap messages to each other when they were in different rooms: _I love you. You okay?_ Simple things like that.**

Hestia smiled warmly at that.

**"I don't care what Callida says," his mom told him. "I don't care about destiny and the Fates. You're too young for that. You're still my baby."**

Leo deeply breathed in and shakily let it out.

Deciding against going through his tool belt, Leo choose to fix the watch. Shaking hands fumbled with the small pieces. It took him three attempts before he finally managed to get a firm grip on them.

Katie rubbed soothing circles on his back.

"She reminds me a lot of my mom." Percy remarked with a grin.

"Yeah." Nico agreed. "Mine too."

**She took his hands, looking for burn marks, but of course there weren't any. "Leo, listen to me. Fire is a tool, like anything else, but it's more dangerous than most. You don't know your limits. Please, promise me- no more fire until you meet your father. Someday, mijo,**

Leo silently cursed when his hands dropped the pieces again.

He gave up trying to fix the watch and brushed his hair back as he let out another shaky sigh.

"You alright?" Katie asked, even though she knew it was a stupid question.

Leo nodded.

"Never better." Leo replied without much enthusiasm.

**you _will_ meet him. He'll explain everything."**

**Leo had heard that since he could remember. Someday he would meet his dad. His mom wouldn't answer any questions about him. Leo had never met him, never even seen pictures,**

Hephaestus tried not to look at Hera who was purposely looking in his direction. 

**but she talked like he'd just gone to the store for some milk and he'd be back any minute. Leo tried to believe her. Someday, everything would make sense.**

**For the couple of years, they were happy. Leo almost forgot about Tia Callida. He still dreamed of the flying boat,**

_Is that a demigod dream?_ Annabeth thought.

**but the other strange events seemed like a dream too.**

Leo grinned, remembering the good times he had with his mother.

**It all came apart when he was eight,**

The small grin instantly vanished as Leo's eyes widened.  _Are they seriously going to read about..._

Katie frowned with concern when she felt Leo shiver under her hand.

"Okay." he said forcing a smile. He clapped his clamy hands together loud enough to gain everyone's attention. "I'm  _positive_ we can skip this part! And I know!" he cut off before Katie or Athena could respond. "I know that you guys don't want to miss a single detail because of the upcoming war, but you don't need to read this to stop it."  _If it was even possible to begin with._

"We can't afford to skip pages." Athena told him, suppressing a sigh.  _He's persistent, I'll give him that._  "Every paragraph counts."

"Okay, okay." he said calmly despite his heart racing. "It looks like we're at a crossroad. You want to read the books for the sake of the future and I..."  _Want to shove all three down Nemesis's Aunt Rosa impersonating throat._ "Don'tfor the sake of my sanity."

"So how about this? Why don't we agree to disagree and you just send me back to my time?" 

Now everyone in the room was looking at him.

"What?" Hermes asked.

"There's no point in me staying here if I'm just going to keep bothering you about not wanting to read this or not wanting to read that." Leo continued.  _Please work! Please work!_  "And Nemesis didn't exactly give you guys any reason to keep me hostage here, so why not? Let me go back to 2014 and you can have your Story Time in peace."

"But... why would she send you here in the first place?" Chris hesitated.

"Who cares?" Leo shrugged.  _Just let me leave already! I gave you guys a compromise that works for both sides!_ "We all know she's crazy."

"Still, we shouldn't risk it by sending you back so soon." Athena frowned. "No matter how crazy she may seem, it wouldn't be wise to underestimate her."

"Seriously?" Leo scowled.  _I think you guys are just overestimating her._

"This'll be over before you know it." the goddess of wisdom said as Percy read on.

**By then, he was spending every free hour at the shop with his mom. He knew how to use the machines... He'd learned to thing three-dimensionally, solving mechanical problems in his head the way his mom did.**

"Maybe you and I can work together one day." Annabeth commented.

"Yeah, maybe." Leo, slightly shivering, said with a small knowing smile. His hands pulling the buttons on his jacket.

**One night, they stayed late because his mom was finishing a drill pit design she hoped to be patent. If she could sell the prototype, it might change their lives. She'd finally get a break.**

Leo wondered what life would've been like if she had finally gotten that break.

 _Guess we'll never know._ Leo looked down at a button he unintentionally pulled off his jacket. He shoved the button in his pocket.

**As she worked, Leo passed her supplies and told her corny jokes,**

"W-were they new corny jokes, or they were the jokes you were planning to reuse on Jason?" Thalia hesitantly asked, trying to break the tension.

Leo looked at her in surprise, before smiling gratefully.

"The latter, of course." he answered.

**trying to keep her spirits up. He loved it when he could make her laugh. She'd smile and say, "Your father would be so proud of you, _mijo._**

_I am proud of you, Leo._ Hephaestus wanted to say, but something held him back.

**You'll meet him soon, I'm sure."**

**...That night after finishing up, they'd just gotten to the break room when his mom realized she didn't have her keys.**

"You're shaking hard, man." Connor told the son of Hephaestus, with a concerned look.

Leo's hands tightly grabbed his arms.

"I know. Don't worry, I'm fine. I'm just cold. Really cold. Really, really,  _really, cold._ Seriously, who turned down the thermostat? It's freezing cold" Leo rambled.

The Stolls and Katie exchanged looks.

**"That's funny," She frowned. "I had them. Wait here, _mijo._ I'll only be a minute."**

**She gave him one more smile- the last one he'd ever get.**

Leo suddenly snapped.

_That's it! I'm done listening! I'm not letting the stupid book get to me anymore! I'm finished!_

Shaking off Katie's hand, Leo abruptly stood up and began to casually walk out of the throne room (he had to keep  _some_ of his dignity).

"Uh... Leo?" Apollo said as everyone watched him leave. "Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving." Leo responded as if it were obvious. "You guys can keep reading if you want, but I'm not going to stay here and listen."

"When are you coming back?" Grover asked.

"I don't know." Leo admitted, not bothering to turn around.  He found himself walking faster. "I'll see you guys later.  _Byyyyeeeee_!"

Everyone watched dumbfounded as Leo made a mad dash towards the elevator. Occasionally he would stumble because of his untied shoelace, but that did little to stop the determined teen from retreating.

"I can't believe he just did that." Travis said slowly.

Nico closed Percy's open jaw.

"I'll go get him." Katie said, beginning to stand.

"No, I'll go."

Katie bit her lip.

"Are you sure? Because I don't mind."

"I'm sure."

* * *

 

Welp. So much for his dignity. 

Leo crossed his arms as impatiently waited for the elevator to come.

_Out of all the floors, why the six hundredth? Why not the hundredth, or two hundredth or the fifth?_

"Com'on! Com'on! Com'on!" Leo said, furiously clicking the lit button.

"It's not going to come here any faster, boy. No matter how many times you keep clicking it."

Leo nearly leaped out of his skin at the sudden voice and nearly had a heart attack at the sight of the ugliest face he'd ever seen. 

That is, until he realized that ugly face was his father.

" _Oh my gods!_ " Leo exclaimed, grabbing his chest. "Are you trying to kill me? Don't sneak up on me like that with your ugly looking face!" he snapped.

Hephaestus had the nerve to laugh.

"You sounded so much like your mother just now." he said with a small smile. "I miss Esperanza..."

"You and me both." he said, watching the numbers above the door light up.  _It's still on the sixth floor?_

The two stood awkwardly side by side as they waited for the elevator to come.

Leo played with the zipper on his jacket.

" _Soooo_ ," he began because well.. Let's face it, if he didn't he was going to be stuck waiting for an elevator in awkward silence. "Are you here to drag me back? Because if you are, I  _will_ be kicking and screaming the entire way."

The god looked up from the contraption in his hands.

"Grommets and gears! Of course not!" he exclaimed.  _Even though that's probably why they let me go._  "You shouldn't have to go through something like that all over again."  

Leo stopped punching the down button and looked up at him in surprise. "Really?"

Hephaestus nodded. He seemed to have something else on his mind but he didn't know how to word it.

"I'm no good with children." the god finally admitted. "Or any other organic life forms really."

"Yeah, I figured."

"But I care about all of my children -including you." he went back to fiddling with the object in his hands. It looked like the size of a clementine compared to how big they were. "If I could've, I would've been there for your birth, your first steps, your first birthday. And of course," his hands were squeezing the metal object. Leo could hear it groan in protest of the weight. " _She  _wouldn't have been anywhere near you."

"Are you talking about Hera?" Leo asked. At this point, he had stopped everything was doing and was paying close attention to the god. "Are you still upset about what she said?"

"Mother always knows just what to say to grind my gears." he said with a bitter smile. "She always acts like she's doing you a favor and if you don't meet her expectations, she'll just toss you away." 

The god looked over at the edge of Mount Olympus. His face fixed as if he recalled a bad memory. "But, it doesn't matter how I feel. I just wanted to let you know the truth and not some lies she told you about something she knows nothing about."

Hephaestus hesitated before patting his son's head. Softly, as if he was afraid he was going to crush him like a soda can.

_Ding._

The two turned to see the elevator (finally) arriving on the 600th floor.

"Where are you planning on going?" the god asked, making no move to stop him.

Leo looked inside the elevator and watched the doors slowly close.

"Nowhere." he said with a shrug. "Let's just head back. They should be done by now, right?"

* * *

 

"They're back!" Hestia, seeing the two, said with a relief.

"Leo, next time you have a problem, you talk about it! Don't walk away from it!" Hera scolded.

"Sorry!" Leo said, in a way that was too happy to actually mean it. He sat down his seat. "So, what chapter are we on now?  **Jason XOXO**?"

The rest of the group exchanged looks.

"We actually decided to wait until you come back before we read again." Katie cautiously.

The smile on Leo's face twitched. Seriously? When was he ever going to get a break?

" _Um... Why?_  You know I told you that you can read without me, right?" Leo said, his smile strained.

"We would've but..." Chris trailed off.

"We didn't know if you would come back." Nico finished. "We thought you were going to run away."

"With the way you were running, it didn't look like Hephaestus was going to catch up with you on time." Apollo added.

 _Is it too late to leave again?_ Leo thought, his smile quickly turning into a grimace.  _Maybe I could tell them I'm leaving to get a hot dog?_

Percy opened the book.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Leo bit his lip.

"No," he said truthfully. "But I don't have much of a choice."

Percy gave him a sympathetic look before reading again.

**She gave him one more smile- the last one he'd ever get.**

"I don't think you needed to reread that."  Leo said, brushing his hair back. "I'm pretty sure everyone remembers it."

Katie's hand settled itself on Leo's back once again.

"Sorry."

**\- and she went back into the warehouse.**

**She'd only been gone for a few heartbeats when the interior door slammed shut. Then the exterior door locked itself.**

**"Mom?" Leo's heart pounded.**

Leo picked up the stop watch pieces.

**Something heavy crashed inside the warehouse..."Mom?" Frantically, he tapped a message of message on the wall: _You okay?_**

Hestia looked worried.

Leo struggled to focus his attention on fixing his stop watch.

**"She can't hear you," a voice said.**

Leo stiffened, abruptly stopping his task.

Katie rubbed his back.

**Leo turned and found himself facing a strange woman. At first he thought it was Tia Callida. She was wrapped in black robes, with a veil covering her face.**

"It wasn't me!" Hera snapped, offended when a few people suspiciously glanced her way.

**"Tia?" he said.**

**The woman chuckled, a slow gentle sound, as though she were half asleep.**

**"I am not your guardian. Merely a family resemblance."**

Leo breathed in deeply and slowly let it out.

 _Relax, Leo._ he thought, giving up on the stop watch again.

Taking out a pencil, he turned and started drawing on the wall.  _Just ignore him and you'll be fine._

Katie looked at him with concern but didn't comment.

**"What- what do you want? Where's my mom?"**

**"Ah... loyal to your mother. How nice. But you see, I have children too... and I understand you will fight them some day. When they try to wake me, you will prevent them. I cannot allow that."**

Leo bit his lip before humming loudly and drew a tree.

**"I don't know you. I don't want to fight anybody."**

He still didn't want to fight anybody.

**She muttered like a sleepwalker in a trance. "A wise choice."**

**...But even stranger: her clothes were not made of cloth... Her pale, sleeping face was barely visible behind a curtain of dust, and he had the horrible sense she had risen from the grave.**

With a similar chill, Leo scribbled over his tree and made it a tornado.

 _It's times like these, I hate being right._ Annabeth mentally groaned while the gods exchanged looks of horror.

**If the woman was asleep, Leo wanted her to stay that way. He knew that fully think, she would be even more terrible.**

Leo shivered. He hummed to himself a Rolling Stone song, but instead of making him feel better, like it usually did, it made him feel worse.

He stopped humming and turned his attention back to his drawing.

**"I cannot destroy you yet," the woman murmured. "The Fates will not allow it.**

Hephaestus thanked the Fates for that.

**But they do not your mother, and they cannot stop me from breaking your spirit. Remember this night, little hero, when they ask you to oppose."**

**"Leave my mother alone!" Fear rose in his throat as the woman shuffled forward.**

Leo's breath hitched. He squeezed his eyes.  _Please let this chapter be over soon._

With his back still facing the others, he put his pencil down and tied his shoelace.

**She moved more like avalanche than a person, a dark wall of earth shifting towards him.**

After tying the shoelace tightly, Leo clapped his hands over his ears.

Sadly, it wasn't enough to drown out Percy's voice.

**"How will you stop me?" she whispered.**

**She walked straight through the table, the particles of her body reassembling on the other side.**

_Does this book always have to be so descriptive?_ Leo thought, trembling.  _Because I think we can live without the details._

After taking deep breaths, Leo turned around. He ignored the pitying looks and stared at his shoes.

Katie grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

**She loomed over Leo, and he knew she would pass right through him too. He was the only thing between her and his mother.**

_He's so loyal to his mother._ Demeter thought, sniffling.

**His hand caught on fire.**

Everyone's eyes widened.

Leo squeezed Katie's hand tightly.

Katie rubbed her thumb up and down the back of his hand.

**A sleepy smile spread across the woman's face, as if she'd already won... Flames washed over the earthen woman, the walls, the locked doors. And Leo lost consciousness.**

**The paramedic tried to be kind. She told him the warehouse had burned down. His mother hadn't made it out.**

Percy was silent.

There was no noise in the room aside from a few sniffles and hitched breathing.

 _I knew I should've took the elevator! I knew I should've! But nooo! 'They should be finished by now! There's just no way gosh darn they could actually be waiting for us!' Gods, I'm such an idiot!_ Leo thought, mentally kicking himself.

After a minute of silence, Percy began reading.

**The paramedic said she was sorry, but Leo felt hollow. He'd lost control, just like his mother had warned. Her death was his fault.**

"I don't blame you for your mother's death and neither should you." Hephaestus quickly told his son.

Leo nodded.

Although he learned his fire was a gift and not a curse, a small part of him couldn't forgive himself for causing his mom's death.

**Soon the police came to get him, and they weren't as nice.**

Hephaestus clenched his fists.

**The fire had started in the break room, they said, right where Leo was standing. He'd survived by some miracle, but what kind of child locked the doors of his mother's workplace, knowing she was inside, and started a fire?**

Katie gasped.

"Oh my gods! Are they saying that..." Katie trailed off, for Leo's sake, she didn't finish that sentence.

Percy grimaced.

**Later, his neighbors at the apartment complex told the police what strange boy he was... They'd always know something was wrong with Esperanza Valdez's son.**

Leo slightly winced.  _Gee, thanks._

**His relatives wouldn't take him in. His Aunt Rosa called him a _diablo**_**

Athena and Chris flinched at the choice of words.

Hephaestus clenched his hands into fists.  _She's got a lot of  nerve saying that considering the **hell spawn** she calls a son._

**and shouted at the social workers to take him away. So Leo went to his first foster home.**

**A few days later, he ran away.**

"It was too normal." Leo joked with a forced smile.

**Some foster homes lasted longer than others. He joked around, make a few friends, pretend nothing bothered him, but he always ended up running sooner or later.**

Leo's jaw dropped. It was really all he could do in situation like this. 

Everyone else instantly thought of Leo's run to the elevator.

"You weren't planning on coming back, were you?" Nico asked, with a look of slight understanding.

"W-What?" Leo choked out, looking anywhere except at people's faces. "N-No! I-I would never... No! Of course not!"

His words sounded fake, even in his own ears.

Percy frowned and read again.

**It was the only thing that made the pain better-**

Leo laughed nervously.  _Okay, we get the point, you can shut up now._

**feeling like he was moving, getting farther and farther away from the ashes of the machine shop.**

**...He was almost to the woods when he imagined Tia Callida's voice: _It wasn't your fault, little hero. Our enemy awakes. It's time to stop running away._**

**"Hera," Leo muttered, "you're not even here, are you? You're in a cage somewhere."**

Hera scowled.  _Thanks for the reminder._

**There was no answer.**

**But now, at least, Leo understood something....Maybe those Fates she mentioned could tell the future.**

"They can." Annabeth told Leo.

"Thanks." Leo said simply, not in the talking mode, brushed his hair back. He never felt so exposed before in his life.  _How did Nemesis even get all this?_

 **... _You'll find your destiny,_** **Tia Callida had promised, _and your hard journey will finally make sense._**

**Leo might find out what that flying boat in his dreams meant. He might meet his father,**

_I hope I at least appear in his dream._ Hephaestus thought.  _It would be the least I can do ._

**...But first things first. He'd promised Jason a flying ride.**

**Not the boat from his dreams- not yet.**

"Yet?" Annabeth repeated.

**There wasn't time to build something that complicated. He needed a quicker solution. He needed a dragon.**

"That dragon will kill you!" Nyssa warned. "You may have more of a chance than Jake did, but that chance is still slim."

"Danger's my middle name." Leo reminded with a strained smile.

**He hesitated at the edge of the woods, peering into absolute darkness...**

**Leo remembered what Will Solace had told him:**

Will quietly sighed when Leo once again used his full name.

**No one should go into the woods alone, definitely not unarmed. Leo had nothing- no sword, no flashlight, no help.**

" _Sooo,_ you're going to go back and get one, right?" Will said with a expectant look.

Leo just sheepishly smiled. " _Sure._ "

**He glanced back at the lights of the cabins. He could turn around now and tell everyone he'd been joking. _Psych!_ Nyssa could take the quest instead.**

"Please don't actually do that to me." Nyssa paled.

"Relax, I'm not that much of a jerk." Leo said.

**He could stay at camp and learn to be a part of the Hephaestus cabin, but he wondered how long it would be before he looked like his bunkmates- sad, dejected, convinced of his own bad luck.**

Jake and Nyssa winced.

**_They cannot stop me from breaking your spirit,_ the sleeping woman had said.  _remember this night, little hero,_**

_That won't be hard._ Leo thought.

_**when they ask you to oppose me.** _

**"Believe me, lady," Leo muttered. "I remember. And whoever you are, I'm gonna face-plant you hard, Leo-style."**

**He took deep breath and plunged into the forest.**

"Done." Percy said.

Leo sighed with relief before turning to Katie.

"Thanks," he said to the daughter of Demeter.

"No problem." she replied.

"Does anybody want to read next?" Percy asked.

"I will." Will said, taking the book. " **Leo XII**."

 _Here we go again._ Leo inwardly groaned. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *~ I don't think Hephaestus knew Hera was watching Leo. Either that, or he didn't know how Hera was treating him because we never hear him mention it when he talks to him. He talks about keeping an eye on Leo, yet he never mentions anything about Hera as Leo's babysitter. I think he payed close attention to Leo after Leo's mother died.
> 
> **~ Diablo is Spanish for devil


	13. Leo XII

" **Leo XII** ," Will read.

 _This can't be as bad as the other chapter._ Leo hoped, going back to fixing the stop watch.  _It just can't be._

**The Woods Weren't Like Anyplace he'd been before... The wildest things he'd ever seen were that rattlesnake in the cow pasture and his Aunt Rosa in her nightgown,**

"Oh dear gods! Who wrote that in there and why do they hate me?!" Leo gagged, his face turning green. Out of all the things he could think of, that was a mental image he never wanted to think of ever again.  _Ever_.

**until he was sent to the wilderness school.**

**Even there, the school had been in the desert. No trees with gnarled roots to trip over. No streams to fall into. No branches casting dark,** **creepy shadows and owls looking down at him with their big reflective eyes.**

**This was the Twilight Zone.**

"Bet you wished you had that flashlight now, don't you?" Will said with a raised eyebrow.

Leo sheepishly smiled. "Okay, okay. You were right. Happy?"

"Only a little." Will said, trying not to smile in satisfaction. 

**He stumbled along until he was sure no one back at the cabins could possibly see him.**

**Then he summoned fire. Flames danced along his fingertips, casting enough light to see.**

**He hadn't tried to keep a sustained burn going since he was five, at that picnic table...Even this tiny fire made him feel guilty.**

"Don't feel bad about it." Demeter told the boy. "We all know it wasn't you're fault. Right,  **Hades**?"

She glared at Hades until he rolled his eyes and nodded in agreement.

"Thank you." Leo said.

Demeter smiled.

**He kept walking, looking for dragon-type clues- giant footsteps, trampled trees, swaths of burning forest. Something that big couldn't exactly sneak around, right?**

"It shouldn't be." Nico agreed "But if it were loud, wouldn't it have been easier to find?"

**But he saw nada. Once he glimpsed a large, furry shape like a wolf or bear, but it stayed away from his fire, which was fine by Leo.**

"Pretty sure that was a monster," Percy frowned. "The forest is full of them."

"Hopefully the fire will scare the other monsters away too," Katie said.

"Yeah," Leo said before sighing dramatically. "Would've been nice if I had a sword or a shot gun on me to defend myself..."

"No." the god said, unmoved.

**Then, at the bottom of a clearing, he saw the first trap- a hundred-foot-wide crater ringed with boulders.**

**...In the center of the depression, a metal vat the size of a hot tub had been filled with bubbly dark liquid- Tabasco sauce and motor oil.**

Drew and some of her sisters made a look of disgust.

 **On**   **pedestal suspended over the vat, an electric fan rotated in a circle, spreading the fume across the forest. Could metal dragons smell?**

When everyone turned to the Hephaestus children for answers, Jake shrugged.

"He senses in a way that's similar to smell." Jake explained.

**The vat seemed to be unguarded. But Leo looked closely, and in the dim light of the stars and his handheld fire, he could see the glint of metal beneath the dirt and leaves- a bronze net lining the entire crater. Or maybe see wasn't the right word- he could sense it there, as if the mechanism was emitting heat, revealing itself to him.**

"Dude, that's awesome!" Connor exclaimed.

"Having that ability will definitely help you on your quest." Thalia said.

"It did." Leo took out a screwdriver and began to screw back on certain pieces.

**Six large strips of bronze stretched out from the vat like the spokes of a wheel. They would be pressure sensitive, Leo guessed. As soon as the dragon stepped on one, the net would spring closed, and _voila-_ one gift-wrapped monster.**

"Would it actually work?" Annabeth wondered, thinking about Cabin Nine's curse.

"Probably not." Nico replied.

Nyssa scowled.

"Of course it would work," she argued. "Just because everyone else believes we're cursed doesn't mean all of our inventions should be completely worthless. Some of them have to work."

"If that's true, why haven't you caught the dragon yet?" Clarisse asked, resting her head on her hand.

"It's not that easy!" Nyssa snapped. "You can't just throw a net over it's head and instantly capture it. This had to have taken us time to pin point locations were he's been frequently spotted; then we had to make the traps and set up (which isn't easy to do when no one is motivated); then finally, we to wait for him to walk on the trap." 

The daughter of Hephaestus sighed. "These things take time but the traps should be able to capture him."

**Leo edged closer. He put his foot on the nearest trigger strip.**

"He'll be fine." Nyssa assured when some people stared at Leo as if he was crazy.

**As he expected, nothing happened. They had to have set the net for something really heavy. Otherwise they could catch an animal, human, smaller monster, whatever...**

"Either that or it doesn't work." Clarisse muttered what was on other people's minds.

**He picked his way down the crater and approached the vat. The fumes were almost overpowering, and his eyes started watering.**

**He remembered a time**

Leo groaned.  _Great. Another stupid memory. Why couldn't **I** be the one with amnesia?_

**when Tia Callida (Hera, whatever) had made him chop jalapenos in the kitchen and he'd gotten the juice in his eyes. Serious pain...**

"HA! Is that all? Try having red hot chili pepper juice in your eyes!" Ares bragged as if he beat Leo in some kind of competition.

Leo wondered if that chili pepper juice gone in the god's brain too. "Um... okay? You win I guess."

"I don't even want to know how old he was when this happened." Hephaestus stated, glaring at Hera.

"It was an endurance challenge," Hera rolled her eyes. "How would he be able to gain a resistance towards pain if he didn't experience it?"

A what?! Hephaestus' beard began to smolder. The god gnashed his teeth together. 

"Besides, I made sure to wash his eyes out with cold water after the training was done." she added.

"You're not supposed to use water, you use milk." Hestia explained, looked more and more disturbed by the situation.  _That poor child!_

 _So that was why he was still crying..._ Hera frowned.

Annabeth looked at Leo as if he was a puzzle she just couldn't solve. "How are you still alive?"

"My mom." he answered almost immediately. He clicked a couple pieces of the watch back into place. 

**A total psycho, that lady.**

"No kidding." Percy said, still taking in all the things Hera did to Leo as a kid.  _Who does that and thinks it's okay?_

Hera glared at Leo. 

**Leo was so glad he was on a quest to rescue her.**

"I'm starting to think we should just leave her wherever she is." Hephaestus said. "Knowing our luck, whoever captured her will send her back shortly after the solstice." 

"You. Wouldn't. Dare." the goddess empathized with a scowl.

No he wouldn't, but that didn't mean he couldn't suggest it just to get under her skin.

 **...** **Leo looked for a trigger- something that would disable the net. He didn't see anything.**

"We probably hid it somewhere so nobody would accidentally turn it off." Jake said.

"Or we might not have made one." Nyssa added.

**He had a moment of panic. Nyssa had said there were several traps like this in the woods, and they were planning more. What if the dragon had already stepped into another one? How could Leo possibly find them all?**

"We could've either made an alarm for each one or we routinely check it during the day." Jake said.

**He continued to search, but he didn't see any release mechanism. No large button labeled _OFF_. It occurred to him that there might not  _be_  one. He started to despair- and then he heard the sound.**

The readers tensed.

Finally finished with rebuilding the stop watch, Leo put it back in his tool belt and took out a handful of push pins.

He began to push the pins onto the wall behind him.

**It was more of a tremor- the deep sort of rumbling you hear in gut rather than your ears. It gave him the jitters, but he didn't look around for the source. He just kept examining the trap, thinking, _Must be a long way off. It's pounding its way through the woods. I gotta hurry._**

**Then he heard a grinding snort, like steam forced out of a metal barrel.**

**His neck tingled. He turned slowly. At the edge of the pit, fifty feet away, two glowing red eyes were staring at him.**

"It's the dragon." Percy said, remembering the ruby eyes.

"That's why you pay attention to your surroundings, you're lucky that that was the dragon and not something worse." Katie scolded.

"How do we know that he's lucky? We still hadn't seen what the dragon will do." Nico pointed out, crossing his arms.

"I'll be fine." Leo reassured him, making the push pins form a smiley face.

**The creature gleamed in the moonlight, and Leo couldn't believe something that huge had sneaked up on him so fast...**

**He could still see the dragon just fine. It was about sixty feet long, snout to tail, its body made of interlocking bronze plates. Its claws were the size of butcher knives, and its mouth was lined with hundreds of dagger-sharp metal teeth. Steam came out of its nostrils. It snarled like a chain saw cutting through a tree. It could've bitten Leo in half, easy, or stomped him flat.**

"Not dangerous at all," Nico said sarcastically while Grover shuddered.

Please don't think like that." the satyr pleaded, imagining himself in the situations the son of Hephaestus described.

"No promises." Leo replied with a smile.

**It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen,**

Everyone, except his father and siblings, stared at Leo with disbelief written on their faces.

"Beautiful?" Nico repeated as if he heard that wrong.

"The dragon looks awesome!" Leo happily said, adding more push pins to wall.

"It does look awesome." Nyssa admitted with a grin.

"It's dangerous and beautiful at the same time." Jake sighed.

"It's one of Cabin Nine's best creations." Hephaestus said proudly.

"I think they forgot this dragon almost killed people." Connor whispered to his brother.

"Yeah." Travis whispered back.

"Sounds more frightening then beautiful to me." Grover muttered.

**-except for one problem that completely ruined Leo's plan.**

**"You don't have wings," Leo said.**

"Greek dragons are serpentine monsters." Annabeth said to Leo. "Most of them aren't flying dragons like in other mythologies."

"That kinda ruins the whole transportation idea." Connor said. "Now how are you going to go on the quest?"

"And what about the dragon?" Chris added.

"I'll figure something out." Leo responded.

**The dragon's snarl died. It tilted its head as if to say, _Why aren't you aren't you running away in terror?_**

**"Hey, no offense," Leo said. "You're amazing! Good god, who _made_ you? Are you hydraulic or nuclear-powered or what? But if it was me, I would've put wings on you. What kind of dragon doesn't have wings? I guess maybe you're too heavy to fly? I should've thought of that."**

"Why you talking to the dragon?" Thalia asked. "You know it can't understand you right?"

"He can understand." Leo said, forming a zig-zag. "He's a really smart dragon."

**...It took a step forward, and Leo shouted, "No!"**

**The dragon snarled again.**

**"It's a trap, bronze brain," Leo said.**

"If it could understand you, I don't think it's a good idea to insult it." Chris said.

Leo thoughtfully frowned. " _Yee-aaah,_ probably wasn't my best idea."

**"They're trying to catch you."**

**The dragon opened its mouth and blew fire. A column of white-hot flames billowed over Leo, more than he tried to endure before.**

"Dead." Nico said, loud enough that everyone heard him. "If you weren't fire resistant, you would've been on a one-way ticket to the Underworld right now."

"But I  _am_  fire resistant, so it's no big deal," Leo said dismissively.

"That's not the point," the son of Hades insisted. "You keep telling us that the dragon can be fixed and that it would never kill people, yet it just did something that could've killed you. How are we supposed to know that we can trust this thing around other people who  _aren't_ fire resistant?"

Some demigods muttered in agreement.

"Give him a chance!" Leo turned to face them. "He just got introduced in the book!"

"And he already tried to kill you." Nico pointed out.

"At least let me fix him first before you judge him."

"And what if he's unfixable?"

"Nothing's unfixable." Leo stated.

 _I feel like we're talking in circles._ Nico groaned, rubbing his forehead.

**He felt as if he were being hosed down with a very hot fire hose. It stung a little, but he stood his ground. When the flames died, he was perfectly fine.**

"He wouldn't have been if I hadn't trained him." Hera said proudly.

Exasperated Hephaestus drummed his fingers on his armrest. "Your training didn't help him resist fire, he was born like that."

**Even his clothes were okay, which Leo didn't understand, but for he was grateful.**

"Um... How?" Travis said.

"I'm pretty awesome." Leo said as if that explained anything.

**He liked his army jacket, and having his pants seared off would've been pretty embarrassing.**

_Not exactly something I want people to hear about..._ Leo thought, putting push pins in the shape of a tree.

**The dragon stared at Leo. Its face didn't actually change, being made of metal and all, but Leo thought he could read its expression: _Why no crispy critter?_ A spark flew out of its neck like it was about to short-circuit.**

Nico's frown deepened, but he didn't say anything.

**"You can't burn me," Leo said, trying to sound stern and calm. He'd never had a dog before, but he talked to the dragon the way he thought you'd talk to a dog. "Stay, boy. Don't come any closer. I don't want you to get caught. See, they think you're broken and have to scrapped. But I don't believe that. I can fix you if you'll let me-"**

**The dragon creaked, roared, and charged. The trap sprang...**

_He can't even reason with it. It needs to be destroyed._ the son of Hades thought.

**Leo was knocked off his feet, turned upside down, and doused in Tobasco sauce and oil. He found himself sandwiched between the vat and the dragon as it thrashed, trying to free itself from the net that had wrapped around them both.**

"Yes! I knew it! I  _knew_ that the traps would work!" Nyssa could help but cheer. She  _knew_ they weren't cursed.

"That's not exactly a good thing, since we're going to be coming to destroy it." Jake reminded.

"Oh, right." she remembered, sighing at that.  _It was nice while it lasted._

**The dragon blew flames in every direction, lighting up the sky and setting trees on fire.**

"If they didn't know they caught him before, they do now." Percy said.

 _No kidding. Way to go Festus._ Leo thought, rolling a push pin back and forth under his foot.

**Oil and sauce burned all over them. It didn't hurt Leo, but it left a nasty taste in his mouth.**

**"Will you stop that?" he yelled.**

**..."Listen, man," Leo said, "you're just going to show them were you are. Then they'll come and break out of acid and metal cutters. Is that what you want?"**

**The dragon's jaw made a creaking noise like it was trying to talk.**

"See? He could understand me." Leo told Thalia.

"He could be trying to eat you again." Katie said.

**"Okay, then," Leo said. "You have to trust me."**

**And Leo set to work.**

**It took him almost an hour to find the control panel. It was right behind the dragon's head, which made sense. He'd elected to keep the dragon in the net because it was easier to work with the dragons constrained, but the dragon didn't like it.**

**"Hold still!" Leo scolded.**

"Look who's talking." Thalia said.

With a smile, Leo shrugged.

**The dragon made another creaking sound that might've been a whimper.**

**Leo examined the wires inside the dragon's head. He was distracted by a sound in the woods, but when he looked up it was just a tree spirit- a dryad, Leo thought they were called- putting out the flames in her branches.**

Grover grimaced.

"She was fine." Leo assured him.  _I think, I mean, her dress **was** smoking_ _._

**Fortunately, the dragon hadn't started an all-out forest fire,**

"That's one good thing." Grover said with relief.

**but still the dryad wasn't too pleased. The girl's dress was smoking.**

**She smothered the flames with a silky blanket, and when she saw Leo looking at her, she made a gesture that was probably very rude in Dryad.**

"Probably." Dionysus agreed, flipping through a page in his magazine. "It wouldn't surprise me. You  _did_  burn her tree."

**Then she disappeared in a green poof of mist.**

**Leo returned his attention to the wiring. It was ingenious, definitely, and it made sense to him. This was the motor control relay. This processed sensory input input from the eyes. This disk...**

"It's basically the dragon's brain?" Annabeth guessed.

"Yup." Leo answered.

**"Ha," he said. "Well, no wonder."**

**_Creak?_ the dragon asked with its jaw.**

**"You've got a corroded control disk.**

"Oh!" Jake said with realization. "So  _that's_ why. We can fix that!"

"We  _can,_ but I don't think we have a extra disk at the cabin." Nyssa sadly told him.

"Can't you make a new one?" Chris asked.

"We can," Jake said. "But it's pretty complicated and would take a long time to create. I don't think we'll be able to make another one  _and_ wings in time for the quest."

**Probably regulates your higher reasoning circuits, right? Rusty brain, man. No wonder you're a little... confused." He almost said _crazy,_ but he caught himself.**

Chris nodded his approval.

**"I wish I had a replacement disk, but... this is a complicated piece of circuitry. I'm going to have to take it out and clean it. Only a minute." He pulled out the disk, and the dragon went absolutely still. The glow died in his eyes. Leo slid off its back and began polishing the disk. He mopped up some of the oil and Tabasco sauce with his sleeve, which helped cut through the grime, but the more he cleaned, the more concerned he got. Some of the circuits were beyond repair.**

Leo's siblings frowned.

**He could make it better, but not perfect.**

"It doesn't need to be perfect now." Jake said. "It just needs to be able to fix the dragon until we get a new brain."

"It'll be better if you leave him with us so he would be fixed." Nyssa told Leo.

"Yeah," Leo admitted, putting the box of push pins back in his belt. "But I still need him for the transportation."

The others gave him confused looks.

"You heard our conversation, right?" Chris said slowly as if the other was a toddler. "The dragon has no wings and a barely functional brain. How are you going to fly something like that?" 

 "I have my ways." Leo said, brushing imaginary lint off his jacket. Why bother telling them? They were going to read about it anyway.

**For that, he'd need a completely new disk and he had no idea how to build one.**

**He tried to work quickly. He wasn't sure how long the dragon's control disk could be off without damaging it- maybe forever- but he didn't take chances. Once he'd done the best he could, he climbed back up to the dragon's head and started cleaning the wiring and gearboxes getting himself filthy in the process.**

**"Clean hands, dirty equipment," he muttered,**

Leo sadly smiled.

**something his mother used to say. By the time he was though, his hands were black with grease and his clothes looked like he'd just lost a mud-wrestling contest, but the mechanisms looking a lot better. He slipped in the disk, connected the last wire, and sparks flew. The dragon shuddered. Its eyes began to glow.**

**"Better?" Leo asked.**

**The dragon made a sound like a high-speed drill. It opened its mouth and all its teeth rotated.**

Grover shuddered.  _Oh gods, who designed that and why?_

**"I guess that's a _yes._ Hold on, I'll free you."**

**Another thirty minutes to find the release clamps for the net and untangle the dragon, but finally it stood and shook the last bit of netting off its back. It roared triumphantly and shot fire in the sky.**

"I didn't know a machine could be such a show off." Hermes chuckled.

"You'd be surprised." Hephaestus said. 

Leo looked through his pockets.

**"Seriously," Leo said. "Could you not show off?"**

**_Creak?_ the dragon asked.  
**

**"You need a name," Leo decided. "I'm calling you Festus."**

"Um... where did that come from?" Connor asked.

"Don't you remember?" Hestia smiled at Leo, she looked at him as if he did something cute. "He thought 'Festus' was Hephaestus' name before Will corrected him. This is his way of naming the dragon after his father."

" _Aaaw!_ " Demeter and Aphrodite cooed.

Hephaestus felt a warm feeling inside his chest.

"That's really sweet." Katie couldn't help but coo.

"Stop it! I didn't name Festus after  _him_! Why would I?!" Leo immediately denied.

"If that's true then why are you blushing?" Travis teased, pinching his already red cheek. The son of Hephaestus smacked his hand away.

"It's okay, you don't have to hide your feelings from us." Connor said sweetly, pinching the other. "Nothing's wrong with loving your dad."

"Quit it!" Leo smacked his hand away as well.

"The truth will set you free!" Apollo added.

"I didn't!" Leo insisted. "I'm just... a really huge fan of Gunsmoke, okay?!"

"Of course!" Hestia giggled behind her hand. Judging by the amused looks on everyone's faces, nobody believed him. "My mistake."

**The dragon whirred its teeth and grinned. At least Leo hoped it was a grin.**

**"Cool," Leo said. "But we still have a problem, because you don't have wings."**

"Maybe he already has a feature that can make him fly?" Jake suggested. "We still haven't seen all he can do. Maybe he has rockets that can help him take off."

**Festus tilted his head and snorted steam. Then he lowered his back in an unmistakable gesture. He wanted Leo to climb on.**

**"Where we going?" Leo asked.**

**But he was too excited to wait for an answer.**

**He climbed onto the dragon's back, and Festus bounded off into the woods.**

"You've never lived until you ridden a dragon at least once." Leo informed the group. He looked through his pockets.

**...Finally they crossed a stream and came to a dead end, a limestone cliff a hundred feet tall- a solid, sheer mass the dragon couldn't possibly climb.**

**Festus stopped at the base and lifted one leg like a dog pointing.**

**"What is it?" Leo slid to the ground. He walked up to the cliff- nothing but solid rock.**

**The dragon kept pointing.**

**...The loose wire in the dragon's neck sparked, but otherwise he stayed still.**

"Is he broken again?" Jake asked Leo.

Pulling out loose change, the his brother shook his head.

"I just fixed him, why would he be broken?" he asked, absentmindedly. He counted the coins in his hand.

**Leo put his hand on the cliff. Suddenly his fingers smoldered... He backed up and the door swung open, disturbingly silently for such a big slab of rock.**

The demigods exchanged confused looks.

"The camp has secret cave in the forest?" Percy said in surprise. "How come nobody told me?"

"Because nobody knew." Annabeth replied with a thoughtful look.

"Why is that even there?" Chris questioned. "Nobody ever goes that deep into the woods."

**"Perfectly balanced," he muttered. "That's some first-rate engineering."**

**The dragon unfroze and marched inside, as if he were coming home.**

"Was this were he was made?" Nyssa wondered.

"It would make sense, right? He knew where the place was." Annabeth said.

**Leo stepped through, and the door began to close. He had a moment of panic, remembering that night in the machine shop long ago.**

Leo bounced the change in his hand and ignored the sad looks he was getting.

**What if he got stuck in here? But the light flickered on- a combination of electric fluorescents and wall-mounted torches. When Leo saw the cavern, he forgot about leaving.**

**"Festus," he muttered. "What is this place?"**

**...The cave was the size of an airplane hangar, with endless worktables and storage cages, rows of garage-sized doors along either wall, and staircases that led up to a network of catwalks high above... Bulletin board were covered with tattered, faded blueprints. And weapons, armor, shields- war supplies all over the place, a lot of them only partially finished.**

"The description reminds me of the forges." Nyssa told her brother.

Jake nodded in agreement.

**Hanging from chains far above the dragon's platform was an old tattered banner almost too faded to read. The letters were Greek, but Leo somehow understood what they said: _BUNKER 9._**

Annabeth's eyes widened.  _This was where all the weapons were the battle. Was that why Festus was made? He was made to protect the Camp. What if he was made to do more than defend monsters._

**Did that mean nine as in the Hephaestus cabin, or nine as in there were eight others?**

Annabeth hummed thoughtfully.

"It could mean both." Annabeth said finally. "But why would there be a bunker in the first place?"

**Leo looked at Festus, still curled up on the platform, and it occurred to him that the dragon looked so content because it _was_ home. He had probably been built on that pad.**

**"Do the other kids know...?"**

"I wish." Jake muttered, playing with the end of his shoelace.

**Leo's question died as he asked it. Clearly, this place had been abandoned for decades. Cobwebs and dust covered everything... He was the first one in this bunker since... since a long time ago.**

**Bunker 9 had been abandoned with a lot of projects half finished on the tables. Locked up and forgotten, but why?**

_The gods probably made us forget about this place._ Annabeth rested her chin on her hand. 

**Leo looked at a map on the wall- a battle map of camp, but the paper was cracked and yellow as onionskin. A date at the bottom read, 1864.**

_The time period matches with the Civil War._ Annabeth grimly realized.  _Guess it wasn't just a joke like I was hoping it was._  

**"No way," he muttered.**

**Then he spotted a blueprint on nearby bulletin board, and his heart almost leaped out of his throat... Faintly scrawled words underneath it read: _Prophecy? Unclear. Flight?_**

**It was the ship he'd seen in his dreams- the flying ship.**

"You mean the same ship you dreamed of as a kid?" Connor asked in disbelief.

"Yup." Leo responded, rolling a penny across the ground. The coin wobbled around before finally toppling on the ground.

" _Sooo_... How does that work?" Travis scratched his head. "Has this Great Prophecy already been told before? Or was this supposed to be made for some other quest but it never got done?"

"I'm not sure..." Annabeth said. "Whatever the reason, it's obviously got something to do with the Great Prophecy."

**Someone had tried to build it here, or at least sketched out the idea. Then it was left forgotten... a prophecy yet to come. And the weirdest of all, the ship's masthead was exactly like the one Leo had drawn when he was five- the head of the dragon.**

**...The masthead gave him an uneasy feeling,**

Some people gave the son of Hephaestus curious looks.

**but Leo's mind spun with too many other questions to think about it for long. He touched the blueprint, hoping he could take it down to study, but the paper cracked at his touch, so he left it alone. He looked around for other clues. No boats. No pieces that looked like parts of this project,**

"They must've only drawn the blueprint." Nico observed.

**but there were so many doors and store rooms to explore.**

**Festus snorted like he was trying to get Leo's attention, reminding him they didn't have all night. It was true...He'd saved the dragon, but it wasn't going to help him on the quest. He needed something that would fly.**

**Festus nudged something toward him- a leather tool belt that had been left next his construction pad. Then the dragon switched on his glowing red eye beams and turned them toward the ceiling. Leo looked up to where the spotlights were pointing, and yelped when he recognized the shapes hanging above them in the darkness.**

"I'm guessing that's something you could use for transportation?" Athena said to Leo.

"Yeah." Leo couldn't wait to see the look on their faces when they read about Festus flying.

_As long as it's not in my point of view, I'm fine._

**"Festus," he said in a small voice. "We've got work to do."**

Travis pulled Connor over to him.

"If they're jet packs, we're breaking in." the Stoll said solemnly.

"Duh!" Connor replied. "That's a given!"

"Finished." Will said. "Does anybody want to read next?"

"I will." Nyssa took the book.

" **Jason XIII** ,"


	14. Jason XIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!
> 
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.
> 
> Hope that clears some things up!

" **Jason XIII** ," Nyssa read.

Everyone ignored the dime Leo flicked across the room.

**Jason Dreamed Of Wolves.**

"Wolves?" Katie repeated.

"It could be a symbolic demigod dream." Percy said, remembering his first dream. "They can get pretty weird."

**He stood in clearing in middle of a redwood forest... A pack of large grey beasts milled around him, brushing against his legs, snarling and baring their teeth. They gently nudged him toward the ruins.**

**Jason had no desire to become the world's largest dog biscuit, so he decided to do what they wanted.**

"Good choice." Chris nodded.

**The ground squelched under his boots as he walked. Stone spires of chimneys, no longer attached to anything, rose up like totem poles. The house must've been enormous once, multi-storied with massive log walls and a soaring gabled roof, but now nothing remained but its stone skeletons.**

_The Wolf House._ Athena thought with a scowl.

"Wait..." Thalia trailed off.  _Is this the place where Mom left Jason? How did he remember this? He was practically a baby._

**...Before him was a drained reflecting pool, long and rectangular. Jason couldn't tell how deep it was, because the bottom was filled with mist...Wolves paced under the archways of rough red volcanic stone.**

**At the far end of the pool sat a giant she wolf, several feet taller than Jason.**

**Her eyes glowed sliver in the fog,**

_Artemis?_ Thalia instantly thought, looking at the goddess.

Catching her hunter's look, Artemis shook her head.

_Then who?_

**and her coat was the same color as the rocks- warm chocolaty red.**

**"I know this place," Jason said.**

Annabeth frowned.

"Maybe this is a memory," she said. "Or maybe god is trying to talk to him."

Leo flipped a coin.

**The wolf regarded him. She didn't exactly speak, but Jason could understand her.**

**The movements of her ears and whiskers, the flash of her eyes, the way she curled her lips- all these were part of language.**

The demigods looked surprised.

"He speaks wolf?" Annabeth said skeptically.  _Is this a Roman thing? Wolves aren't Zeus' chosen animal. Only person who I can think of is Lycaon, but that can't be right._

Annabeth made a mental note to study more Roman mythology and customs when she gets back to Camp.

"Cool! Jason's Tarzan!" Travis laughed. Connor and Leo joined him.

"I think Mowgoli would be a better option." she said.  _Clearly they only watched the movies._

"You think he was raised by wolves too?" his brother said with a wide smile.

"Maybe, it could happen." Travis, playing along, shrugged.

Katie rolled her eyes. "That would never happen."

 _ **Of course,**  _ **the she-wolf said. _You began your journey here as a pup. Now you must find your way back. A new quest, a new start._**

**"That isn't fair," Jason said. But as soon he spoke, he knew there was no point complaining to the she-wolf.**

**Wolves didn't feel sympathy. They never expected fairness. The wolf said: _Conquer or die. This is always our way._**

" _Geez_ , I didn't no wolves were so harsh." Percy muttered to Annabeth.

 _It's the Roman way, I guess._ his girlfriend thought.

 **Jason wanted to protest that he couldn't conquer if he didn't know who he was, or where he was supposed to go.**   **But he knew this wolf. Her name was simply Lupa, the Mother Wolf, the greatest of her kind.**

 _Lupa? I never heard of her before._ Annabeth frowned.

**Long ago she'd found him in this place, protected him, nurtured him, chosen him,**

"I was right, he  _was_ raised by wolves." Travis gave Katie a smug look.

Katie snorted.

"I guess there is a first time for everything."

**but if Jason showed weakness, she would tear him to shreds. Rather than be her pup, he would become her dinner. In the wolf pack, weakness was not an option.**

Thalia paled. "She would've  _ate_ him?!"

"Isn't that a bit extreme?" Grover said, resisting the urge to gag.

 _I'm so glad we didn't meet Lupa._ Leo thought.

**"Can you guide me?" Jason asked.**

**Lupa made a rumbling noise deep in her throat, and the mist in the pool dissolved.**

**At first Jason wasn't sure what he was seeing. At opposite ends of the pool, two dark spires had erupted from the cement floor like the drill bits of some massive tunneling machines boring through the surface...**

_What is that even supposed to be?_ Annabeth felt a shiver go down her spine.

**The one closet to Jason was darker and seemed like a solid mass, its tendrils fused together. As he watched, it pushed a little farther out of the earth and expanded a little wider.**

A few people shuddered.

"Okay, I think we get the picture. You can stop now." Chris said.

Leo rolled another coin on the ground. 

**On Lupa's end of the pool, the second spire's tendrils were more open, like the bars of a cage. Inside, Jason could vaguely see a misty figure struggling, shifting within its confines.**

Hera grimaced.

**"Hera," Jason said.**

**The she-wolf growled in agreement. The other wolves circled the pool, their fur standing up on their backs as they snarled at the spires.**

_**The enemy has chosen this place to awaken her most powerful son, the giant king,** _ **Lupa said.**

"Did she just say a 'giant king'?" Percy asked Annabeth.

His girlfriend bit her lip and nodded.

"And how bad is that?" Percy dreaded hearing the answer.

Annabeth looked around before lowering her voice to a faint murmur.

"So bad, it makes the Titan War look like a game of tag."

Percy paled. "And we're supposed to fight that?"

"Piper, Leo, and Jason are supposed to fight him." Annabeth corrected, not looking happy with the arrangement. Two untrained recently claimed demigods and one capable but untrustworthy Roman versus the giant king. It was like a suicide mission. "Let's hope they free Hera before he wakes up."

_**Our place, where demigods are claimed- the place of death or life.** _

The demigods looked confused.

"What is she talking about?" Nyssa asked. "There's no other place a demigod gets claimed except Camp Half-Blood."

"Chiron mentioned that Jason's been claimed already and he's never been to camp." Nico reminded. "Maybe this is where Jason was claimed."

Meanwhile Annabeth was focused on entirely her own thoughts,

 _Why there though? What's the history behind that?_ she wondered.  _Why be claimed there when they can get claimed at their Camp where it's safer? Do they even have a Camp?_

"Do you know what that means?" Percy whispered to her.

Annabeth held her necklace and looked away. "No."

Percy saw right through her.

"You're lying." he said. While Annabeth can take a secret to her grave, she always had a way of telling you she was hiding something. "You know something. Com'on what is it?"

"I..." Annabeth hesitated, squeezing her necklace tighter. "I can't tell you, I promised I wouldn't say anything."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Promised who?"

He expected Annabeth to point out her mother or one of the other gods, so he was surprised to see her wordlessly glance at the son of Hephaestus.

"Leo?" Percy said. Annabeth winced when she realized her mistake.

Said boy, in mid-coin toss, looked over at him.

"Huh?" The quarter landed on the ground.

"Nothing." Percy immediately told him.

The son of Hephaestus frowned in confusion but picked up the coin off the ground.

 _Why would Leo make Annabeth promise not to tell us something?_ Percy thought, watching him flip the quarter. The quarter bounced off his hand and fell on the floor.  _What doesn't he want us to know? It's gotta have something to do with Jason and Lupa right? But what?_

_**The house of wolf.** _

_**It is an abomination. You must stop her.** _

**"Her?" Jason was confused.**

"Welcome to the club." Chris muttered.

**"You mean, Hera?"**

Hera rolled her eyes in annoyance.

**The she-wolf gnashed her teeth impatiently. _Use your sense, pup. I care nothing for Juno,_**

"She called her 'Juno' too." Katie noticed.

"Maybe the wolf taught him Roman names instead of Greek?" Percy guessed.  _But why do that?_

_**but if she falls, our enemy wakes. And that will be the end for all of us. You know this place. You can find it again. Cleanse our house. Stop this before it is too late.** _

**The dark spire grew slowly larger, like the bulb of some horrible flower.**

"It's much worse than a flower." Demeter muttered with a shudder.

**Jason sensed that if it ever opened, it would release something he did _not_ want to meet.**

_You got that right._ Leo thought, twirling the coin on its side.

**"Who am I?" Jason asked the she-wolf. "At least tell me that."**

**Wolves don't have much of a sense of humor, but Jason could tell the question amused Lupa...**

**_You are our saving grace, as always._ The she-wolf curled her lip, as if she had just made a clever joke.**

_Seriously? That's so cheesy,_ _ **I** should use that one! _Leo bit his lip to suppress his laughter.

Thalia just rolled her eyes. "Cute."

The other demigods looked baffled at the wolf's strange joke.

**_Do not fail, son of Jupiter._ **

"Done." Nyssa said. "Who's next?"

"I'll read." Drew offered.

Everyone looked at her in surprise.

Even Aphrodite looked at Drew as if she was the one who came from the future.

"Do you even know what chapter we're on?" Travis blurted out.

" _Duh!_ " Drew huffed as she took the book. 

She sat down and read.

" **Jason XIV** ,"


	15. Jason XIV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!
> 
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.
> 
> Hope that clears some things up!

" **Jason XIV** ," Drew read out loud.

**Jason Woke To The Sound Of Thunder**

"It's not him." Thalia said when everyone else instantly turned to Zeus.

**Then he remembered where he was. It was always thundering in Cabin One.**

"How do you expect anyone to sleep with that noise?" Apollo asked.

"Don't ask me," Zeus replied. "Hera designed my cabin." *

"I guess that explains why my cabin doesn't even have a  _bathroom_." Thalia glared at the queen of the gods.

"There shouldn't be anybody sleeping in there." Hera huffed, as if that explained everything.

**Above his cot, the domed ceiling was decorated with a blue-and-white mosaic like a cloudy sky...**

**Except for the cot that the other campers had brought him, the cabin had no regular furniture- no chairs, tables, or dressers. As far as Jason could tell, it didn't even have a bathroom.**

"Don't bother looking, you won't find one." Thalia glared daggers at Hera.

Hera sneered back.

Leo spun the coin like a top. It barely twirled before collapsing on the floor.

**...In the center of the room, a twenty-foot-tall, full-color statue of Zeus in classic Greek robes stood with a shield at his side and a lightning bolt raised, ready to smite somebody.**

"Why did you put that in there?" Chris asked Hera.

"Because Zeus kept insisting that to have that statue in there. Personally, I would have left it empty." she told him.

 _It actually would've been a little tolerable without the statue._ Thalia thought.

 **Jason studied the statue, looking for anything he had in common with the Lord of the Sky. Black hair?** **Grumpy expression? Well, maybe.**

"Maybe?" Leo laughed, putting his remaining coins in his pocket. "More like Hades yes."

He stopped laughing when he saw the death glare from the god of the Underworld.

**Beard? No thanks. In the robes and sandals, Zeus looked like a really buff, angry hippie.**

Zeus sputtered.

Poseidon openly laughed while Hades wore a small smile on his face.

"Good," Poseidon said. "Now his ego has been deflated back to its regular size. Thank you Jason."

"I told you no one was going to take that statue seriously." Hera smirked at her husband.

"There's nothing wrong with my statue!" Zeus snapped. "He just has no respect for his elders!"

**Yeah, Cabin One. A big honor, the other campers had told him. Sure, if you liked sleeping in a cold temple by yourself with Hippie Zeus frowning down at you all night.**

"Hippie Zeus." Poseidon chuckled. "I think I'm going to use that nickname."

"It has a nice ring to it." Hades agreed.

Zeus groaned.

After putting his change in his pocket, Leo rhythmically tapped his fingers on the wall. 

**Jason got up and rubbed his neck. His whole body was stiff from bad sleep and summoning lightning. That little trick hadn't been as easy as he had let on. It had almost made him pass out.**

Percy smiled with understanding.

**Next to the cot, new clothes were laid out for him: jeans, sneakers, and an orange Camp Half-Blood shirt... It felt wrong somehow, putting on the camp shirt. He still couldn't believe he belonged here, despite everything they'd told him.**

The demigods frowned.

"It's just a shirt." Travis said. "It's not that serious."

"He barely even has a shirt left." Clarisse said, looking annoyed. "Why's he so picky?"

 _Why does he keep saying he doesn't belong in Camp?_ Thalia thought with concern.  _What's it going to take to convince him?_

**He thought about his dream, hoping more memories would come back to him about Lupa, or that ruined house in the redwoods... But his head ached when he tried to remember. The marks on his forearm seemed to burn.**

Thalia slightly winced, as if she had been burned.

**If he could find those ruins, he could find his past. Whatever was growing inside that rock spire, Jason had to stop it.**

**He looked at Hippie Zeus.**

"He needs to stop calling me that." Zeus said with a frown.

**"You're welcome to help."**

**The statue said nothing.**

_Does swearing on the River of Styx mean anything to these people?_ Percy thought with a scowl.

**"Thanks Pops," Jason muttered.**

_Well... it's better then 'Hippie Zeus'._ the god of lightning thought.

**He changed clothes and checked his reflection in Zeus' shield. His face looked watery and strange in the metal, like he was dissolving in a pool of gold.**

Leo grimaced when he suddenly thought of King Midas.

He quickly forced that thought into the back of his mind and began tapping out the Psych theme song.

**Definitely he didn't look as good as Piper had last night after she'd suddenly been transformed**

Aphrodite giggled. "You're welcome."

**Jason still wasn't sure how he felt about that. He'd acted like an idiot, announcing in front of everyone that she was a knockout.**

"I think it's sweet." the goddess smiled.

**Not like there'd been anything wrong with her before.**

_You're joking, right?_ Drew rolled her eyes.

**Sure, she looked great after Aphrodite zapped her,**

**but she also didn't look like herself, not comfortable with the attention.**

"Look! He's mindful of her feelings!" Aphrodite excitedly pointed out. "He's so considerate!"

**Jason felt bad for her... Everybody had started fawning over her, telling her how amazing she was and how obviously _she_  should be the one who went on the quest **

Drew's grip tightened. A page wrinkled under her pressure.  _Did everyone just forget that I was willing to risk my life on this quest? Why are they all focused on that... that rich brat!_

**\- but that attention had nothing to do with who she was.**

_Oh Puh-lease. What do you know about Piper?_  Drew snorted.  _I bet you wouldn't be so willing to defend her when you find out she's working with Enceladus._

**...Jason felt like he understood that.**

**Last night when he'd called down lightning, the other campers' reactions had seemed familiar to him. He was pretty sure he'd been dealing with that for a long time- people looking at him in awe just because he was the son of Zeus.**

_Sounds like when I got claimed._ Percy thought, remembering everyone's reactions and the feeling of isolation. _That was awful._

**...Nobody cared about _him_ , just his big scary daddy standing behind him with the doomsday bolt, as if to say.  _Respect this kid or eat voltage!_**

A few people chuckled.

**After the campfire, when people started heading back to their cabins, Jason had gone up to Piper and formally asked her to the quest.**

"Awww, that's so cute!" Aphrodite happily exclaimed.

"He's asking her to go on a quest that she might die on, not a date." Athena reminded her.

"But he asked her formally! That's so adorable! "

**She'd still been in a state of shock, but she nodded, rubbing her arms, which must've been cold in that sleeveless dress.**

**"Aphrodite took my snowboarding jacket," she muttered. "Mugged by my own mom."**

"I'll probably give it back after I find a matching outfit." Aphrodite waved it off.

The Psych theme song slowly devolved to mindless tapping.

**...Jason found a blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders.**

**"We'll get you a new jacket," he promised.**

Aphrodite squealed.

**She managed a smile. He wanted to wrap his arms around her,**

_Ugh! I think I'm gonna hurl._ Drew angrily flipped to the next page.

**but he restrained himself. He didn't want her to think he was as shallow as everyone else- trying to make a move on her because she'd turned all beautiful.**

_There's always next time._ Aphrodite thought with a hint of disappointment.

**He was glad Piper was going with him on the quest.**

"And Leo." the son of Hephaestus added.  _Jeez, did Piper's transformation really make him forget that there was a third person coming with him?_

**Jason had tried to act brave at the campfire, but it was just that- an act.**

**The idea of going up against an evil force powerful enough to kidnap Hera scared him witless, especially since he didn't know his own past. He'd need help, and it felt right: Piper should be with him.**

"And Leo." the teen added. "Seriously? How do you forget the guy who's in charge of bringing the transportation?"

**But things were already complicated without figuring out how much he liked her, and why. He'd already messed with her head enough.**

Leo searched through his tool belt.

**...Then he spotted something he hadn't noticed before. A brazier had been moved out of one of the alcoves to create a sleeping niche, with a bedroll, a backpack, even some pictures taped to the wall.**

"You still have those pictures?" Annabeth said with a soft smile.

"They were still in my pocket before I became a tree." Thalia replied with a similar smile.

Leo's head snapped up to look at her. "Wait  _what_? You were a tree?"

Thalia shifted uncomfortably. "It's called 'Thalia's Pine Tree' for a reason..."

 The boy frowned. "What are you talking about?"

The demigods gawked at him.

"Dude..." Connor said. "You've never heard about Thalia's Pine Tree?"

"I don't even know where it is. Is it in the woods?" Leo asked, shocking the other teens.

"It's the pine tree at the tip  of camp." Will explained, looking like he couldn't believe he had to tell someone this. "The one that Peleus guards. How do you not know this?"

"Been kinda busy. Ya'know with saving Hera and the Great Prophecy..." Leo deadpanned.

"Oh. Right." Will said, looking embarrassed. "Well, I guess I'll tell you. Years ago, Thalia, Annabeth and L-"

"It's a long story." Thalia cut off.

"What? We have time! We're literally just sitting here doing nothing. Why can't we-"

"It's a long story." Thalia repeated, her glare saying:  _Drop it._

 _How come we don't have enough time to hear her story, but we have time to hear mine. _Leo couldn't help but complain.

**Jason walked over. Whoever had slept there, it had been a long time ago... Some of the photos once taped to the wall had lost their stickiness and fallen to the floor.**

**One picture showed Annabeth- much younger, maybe eight...** **She stood next to a sandy-haired guy about fourteen or fifteen, with a mischievous smile and ragged leather armor over a T-shirt. He was pointing to an alley behind them, like he was telling the photographer, _Let's go meet things in a dark alley and kill them!_**

Hermes and Thalia sadly smiled.

Annabeth sighed heavily. It was hard thinking about Luke right now without remembering his final moments.

**...Finally Jason picked up one of the photos that had fallen... Annabeth and the sandy-haired guy, but with another girl between them. She was maybe fifteen, with black hair- choppy, like Piper's- a black leather jacket, and silver jewelry, so she looked kind of goth. But she was caught mid-laugh, and it was clear she was with two of her best friends.**

_Is he even going to recognize me?_ Thalia thought, perking up.

**"That's Thalia," someone said.**

**... Annabeth was peering over his shoulder. Her expression was sad, like the picture brought hard memories.**

Percy pulled her into a hug.

"I'm fine," she told him. "It's just..."

**"She's the other child of Zeus who lived here- but not for long. Sorry, I should have knocked."**

**"It's fine," Jason said. "Not like I think of this place as home."**

**... Jason said, "Don't suppose you've changed your mind about coming with us?"**

"No. Any quest with more than four people can cause a catastrophe." Annabeth said.

 _Then why do we have seven?_ Leo wondered, tying his shoelace.

**She shook her head. "You got a good team already. I'm off to look for Percy."**

**Jason was a little disappointed. He would've appreciated having somebody on the trip who knew what they were doing, so he wouldn't feel like he was leading Piper and Leo off a cliff.**

"I'm sure you'll be fine." Thalia muttered.

**"Hey, you'll do fine," Annabeth promised. "Something tells me this isn't your first quest."**

Thalia looked over at Annabeth in surprise.

"What makes you think that?" she asked.

The daughter of Athena glanced at her briefly before looking away.

"I... I guess I just had a feeling..."

 _She's hiding something._ Thalia noticed.  _But why wouldn't she tell me? She always tells me everything. The only thing she didn't tell me something is..._

"When she promised Chiron..." she muttered, frowning.  _Did she promise someone? But who would she..._

Thalia followed her gaze.

 _Leo?_ the huntress blinked.  _What would he want Annabeth to keep quite about?_

Thalia recalled Annabeth's earlier reaction.  _Why do I get the feeling it has something to do with Jason?_

The daughter of Zeus grimaced.

**...Everyone seemed to think he was so brave and confident, but they didn't see how lost he really felt. How could they trust him when he didn't even know who he was?**

Annabeth found herself agreeing with him.

**He looked at the pictures of Annabeth smiling. He wondered how long it had been since she'd smiled.**

_Three days, six hours, and about twelve minutes._ Annabeth recited, sighing sadly.

**She must really like this Percy guy to search for him so hard,**

"Yeah, I do." Annabeth admitted. With a small grin, she bumped her shoulder against Percy's, who smiled back.

Nico scowled.

**and that made Jason a little envious. Was anyone searching for _him_ right now?**

Once again, Leo couldn't help but wonder if Hazel and the others were okay.

He tapped his foot.

**What if somebody cared for _him_ that much and was going out of her mind with worry, and he couldn't even remember his old life?**

**"You know who I am," he guessed. "Don't you?"**

The demigods turned to Annabeth.

Said girl hesitantly shook her head.

**Annabeth gripped the hilt of her dagger. She looked for a chair to sit on, but of course there weren't any.**

**"Honestly, Jason.. I'm not sure. My best guess, you're a loner. It happens sometimes. For one reason or another, the camp never found you, but you survived anyway by constantly moving around. Trained yourself to fight. Handled the monsters on your own. You beat the odds."**

If she had heard this before, Thalia would've agreed with her. But after seeing Annabeth's reaction, she was skeptical about this. _There's gotta be more to it then that. Leo wouldn't ask her to keep it a secret. But what is it?_

**"The first thing Chiron said to me," Jason remembered, "was _you should be dead_."**

Thalia grimaced.  _That has to be part of this mystery somehow._

Leo pulled out a deck of cards out of his tool belt.

After removing the rubber band, Leo lazily shuffled the deck.

**..."And a child of Zeus- I mean, it doesn't get any more dangerous than that. The chances of your reaching age fifteen without finding Camp Half-Blood or dying- microscopic. But like I said, it does happen. Thalia ran away when she was young. She survived on her own for years. Even took care of me for a while. So maybe you were a loner too."**

**Jason held out his arm. "And these marks?"**

**Annabeth glanced at the tattoos. Clearly, they bothered her.**

The demigods also looked unnerved by the tattoo.

"Why do they keep mentioning that tattoo?" Katie asked. "What does it even mean?"

**"Well, the eagle is the symbol of Zeus, so that makes sense. The twelve lines were- maybe they stand for years, if you'd been making them since you were three years old. SPQR- that's the motto of the old Roman Empire: _Sematus Populusque Romanus,_ the Senate and the People of Rome.**

_The answer was staring me in the face the entire time and I didn't even notice._ Annabeth would've face palmed if she wasn't with the others.

"More Roman stuff." Thalia frowned. "This is so weird."

"I know," Percy agreed. "First he uses Roman terms, then he uses Roman names, and now he has a Roman motto tattooed on his body." he made a noise of exasperation. "It's almost like he wants to... I dunno... become a Roman or something?"

As if he said the magic words, Annabeth jolted up as if she had been electrocuted. Percy and Thalia watched carefully as her and Leo shared a silent exchange.

It seemed to go like this:

Annabeth:  _They're so close to the truth. If they just had one hint..._

Leo frowned. He slightly shook his head before sticking out his pinky finger.

Leo:  _You promised._

Annabeth:  _I know, I won't. But I still think they need to know._

He immediately shook his head again and mimed checking his watch.

Leo:  _Not the time._

Annabeth:  _... Do you really not trust us?_

He winced at her disappointed expression. He bit his lip and looked briefly at the ceiling, as if trying to think of how to properly convey this.

Leo:  _It's not that... It's just..._

His eyes looked around the room. 

When he noticed Thalia staring at them, Leo froze. His face looked panicked before he relaxed his features. Leo smiled and waved at her. 

Just noticing her as well, Annabeth's eyes widened. She quickly turned her attention back to the book.

Percy and Thalia exchanged a look of their own. Whatever these two were hiding, they were going to figure it out.

**Though why you would burn that on your own arm, I don't know. Unless you had a _really_ harsh Latin teacher..."**

"Doubt it." Chris said.

**Jason was pretty sure that wasn't the reason. It also didn't seem possible he'd been own his whole life. But what else made sense? Annabeth had been pretty clear- Camp Half-Blood was the only safe place in the world for demigods.**

A couple demigods nodded in agreement.

**"I, um... had a weird dream last night," he said. It seemed like a stupid thing to confide, but Annabeth didn't look surprised.**

"It's something every demigod has to go through. Unfortunately." Katie sighed.

**..."You don't remember where the house is?" she asked.**

**Jason shook his head. "But I'm sure I've been there before."**

**"Redwoods," she mused. "Could be northern California. And the she-wolf... I've studied goddesses, spirits, and monsters my whole life. I've never heard of Lupa."**

"She could be a minor goddess." Katie suggested.

**"She said the enemy was a 'her'. I thought maybe it was Hera, but-"**

"You were wrong." Hera finished.

**..."You know what it is, don't you?" he asked. "Or least, you've got a guess. I saw your face last night at the campfire. You looked at Chiron like it was suddenly dawning on you, but you didn't want to scare us."**

"Wow Annabeth! Your face is more easier to read than I thought." Travis teased.

The daughter of Athena scowled but otherwise pointedly ignored him.

**Annabeth hesitated. "Jason, the thing about prophecies... the more you know, the more you try to change them, and that can be disastrous.**

"Ya'know, that's a good point." Leo said, shuffling his deck. "Why should we read this if it could damage the future? Hasn't anyone ever seen shows about time travel? They  _always_ warn you about messing with the future!"

After putting the cards in his pocket, Leo began to count off by hand.

" _Back to the Future, Back to the Future 2, The Time Machine, The Time Traveler's Wife, The Girl Who Lept Through Time, Phil of the Future_ (anybody else remember watching that?) Heck! Even  _Charmed_ talks about how dangerous it is to know too much about the future! Does the phrase 'future consequences' ring any bells?" Leo paused to take a deep breath.

He held up seven fingers.

"That's  _seven_ so far! I can keep going, but I think I proved my point. How do we know that learning about this won't make things worse? You guys shouldn't even know me yet. Do you know how weird it's going to be for past (present?) me when he (I?) comes to Camp and everyone knows who he is? Or is it 'I am'?"

Leo threw his hands up in frustration. "Whatever! You get my point!"

"Considering who we are up against I think it's worth the risk." Athena said.

Zeus nodded his head in agreement. 

"Continue," he ordered Drew.

 _Maybe using Movies and TV shows wasn't the best choice for evidence..._ Leo frowned, taking his cards out of his pocket.

**Chiron believes it's better that you find your own path, find out things in your own time.**

_Why aren't we listening to future Annabeth?_ Leo shuffled the cards faster.

**If he'd told me everything he knew before my first quest with Percy... I've got to admit, I'm not sure I would've been able to go through with it. For your quest, it's even more important."**

**"That bad, huh?"**

_Probably worse now._ Leo thought.  _Good luck Past (Present?) Jason, Piper, and me._

 _I hope not..._ Annabeth bit her lip

**..."But I don't even know where to start. Where am I supposed to go?"**

**"Follow the monsters." Annabeth suggested.**

Athena nodded her approval.

**Jason thought about that. The storm spirit who'd attacked the Grand Canyon had said he was being recalled to his boss... And maybe that would lead him to Hera's prison.**

**..."Personally, I'd ask a wind god," Annabeth said.**

**"Aeolus is the master of all the winds, but he's a little... unpredictable."**

"Underestimate." Hades muttered.

**"No one finds him unless he wants to be found. I'd try one of the four seasonal winds gods that work or Aeolus. The nearest one, the one who has the most dealings with heroes, is Boreas, the North Wind."**

**..."Canada," he decided. "Quebec."**

**Annabeth smiled. "I hope you speak French."**

"I doubt he does." Thalia commented.

"Well, he speaks fluent Latin so you never know." Annabeth reminded with a shrug.

**Jason actually felt excitement. Quebec- at least now he had a goal.**

**Find the North Wind, track down the stormy spirits, find out who they worked for and where the ruined house was. Free Hera. All in four days. Cake.**

"Easier said then done." Nico warned.

"You'd be surprised what kinda things can happen on a quest." Percy said, remembering all of his close calls.

**..."So, um... you said it was dangerous being a child of Zeus. What ever happened to Thalia?"**

**"Oh, she's fine," Annabeth said.** **"She became a Hunter of Artemis- one of the handmaidens of the goddess. They roam around the country killing monsters. We don't see them at camp very often."**

**Jason glanced over at the huge statue of Zeus. He understood why Thalia had slept in this alcove. It was the only place in the cabin not in Hippie Zeus' line of sight.**

"I think we should get rid of that statue." Zeus finally grumbled to his wife.

Hera smiled. "I knew you'd say things my way."

**And even that hadn't been enough. She'd chosen to follow Artemis and be part of a group rather than stay in this cold drafty temple alone with her twenty-foot-tall dad- _Jason's dad-_ glowering down at her.  _Eat_   _voltage!_ Jason didn't have any trouble understanding Thalia's feelings. He wondered if there was a Hunters group for guys.**

Artemis and her hunters started laughing.

"Hunters group for  _boys_?" Phoebe laughed harder, as if that was funniest thing she heard in a decade.

"Can boys even hunt properly?" One hunter giggled.

"Can... you... imagine? A  _boy..._ give up on girls for all...eternity?" Another hunter said in between laughs.

 _Is it really that hard to believe?_ Will thought, rolling his eyes. Hunters can be so clueless sometimes.

"It's not that funny." Apollo protested. "Boys can be great hunters!"

The sun god pouted when the girls laughed harder at his statement.

After Artemis and her girls finally calmed down, Drew continued reading.

**"Who's the other kid in the photo?" he asked. "The sandy-haired guy."**

**Annabeth's expression tightened. Touchy subject.**

**"That's Luke," she said. "He's dead now."**

The smile on Thalia's face immediately turned to a sad frown.

Annabeth winced.  _I could've worded that way better._

**Jason decided it was best not to ask more, but the way Annabeth said Luke's name, he wondered if maybe Percy Jackson wasn't the only boy Annabeth had ever liked.**

Annabeth sighed.  _Maybe I am easy to read..._

**He focused again on Thalia's face. He kept thinking this photo is important. He was missing something.**

_I knew it!_ the daughter of Athena thought.  _I knew they were connected!_

**...someone who might understand his confusion, maybe even answer some questions. But another voice inside him, an insistent whisper, said: _Dangerous. Stay away._**

_What the Hades?_ Thalia thought with surprise.

 _Is it because she's Greek?_ Annabeth wondered, eagerly listening.

**"How old is she now?" he asked.**

**"Hard to say. She was a tree for a while. Now she's immortal."**

Imagining the look on Jason's face, Travis snickered.

**"What?"**

"I know right!" Leo said. "That's what I'm saying, but apparently it's a long story!"  _I bet it's not three books long._

**His expression must have been pretty good, because Annabeth laughed. "Don't worry. It's not something all children of Zeus go through. It's a long story,**

"Of course it is." the son of Hephaestus rolled his eyes.

**but... well, she was out of commission for a long time. If she'd aged regularly, she'd be in her twenties now, but she still looks the same as in the picture, like she's about... well, your age. Fifteen or sixteen?"**

**Something the she-wolf had said in his dream nagged at Jason. He found himself asking, "What's her last name?"**

"What does that have to do with anything?" Will asked.

Thalia's clammy hands tightly gripped her bow.

"He probably already knows her and wants to know her last name to confirm it." Annabeth muttered.

**...Jason waited.**

**"Grace," Annabeth said. "Thalia Grace."**

**Jason's fingers went numb. The picture fluttered to the floor.**

**...A shred of memory had ignited** **\- maybe a tiny piece that Hera had forgotten to steal. Or maybe she'd left there on purpose- just enough for him to remember that name, and know that digging up his past was terribly, terribly dangerous.**

The demigods exchanged uneasy looks.

"Um... what's wrong with him?" Travis asked. He turned to Thalia. "Have you guys met before or something?"

The others looked expectantly at her.

Thalia froze.  _What do I say? 'Yeah we met, we're full-blooded siblings!' Can I really just tell them just like that? I don't want to lie to them directly._

As Thalia struggled with how to respond, Drew rolled her eyes and continued reading.

**_You should be dead._ Chiron had said. It wasn't a comment about Jason being a loner. Chiron knew something specific- something about Jason's family.**

_What...?_ Annabeth frowned.

**The she-wolf's words in his dreams finally made sense to him, her clever joke at his expense. He could imagine Lupa growling a wolfish laugh.**

Annabeth's face paled, her eyes widened in realization.

"Oh my gods..." she gasped, looking at Thalia and at the book.

The huntress' shoulders sagged, she ducked her head and plucked her bow.

"That stupid joke..." the daughter of Athena began. "His last name is Grace, right? You're related to him."

Thalia chewed on her lip and tried to ignore the stares of everyone else.

"He's..." Thalia took a deep breath and let it out. "My little brother.."

Although she already knew that, hearing herself say it out loud made it feel more official.

 _It's like I'm claiming him or something._ she joked despite the tense situation.

"He's your little brother?" Percy repeated in surprise. 

"It makes sense." Annabeth said, her voice filled with disbelief and a twinge of anger. "She was always acting so protective of him."  _Of this Roman._ "I got the feeling they met before but I didn't understand why she acted the way she did..."

She ran her hand through her hair. "This explains so much."

Thalia finally found the courage to look up. 

"Annabeth..." she began.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she interrupted. "I tell you everything about me. So why did you keep something this important from me?"

"I thought he was dead." Thalia blurted out.

Annabeth blinked. 

"You what?" she asked as if she misheard.

"When he was a two," Thalia began, looking back down at her shoes. "We went to that place in Jay's dreams. My... Our mom made me go back in the car and get something and when I came back, she was on crying and saying that she gave him away to Hera." She tightened the grip on her bow. She took a deep breath and shakily let it out. "After his disappearance, I decided to run away and I tried not to think about him since. I'm sorry I hadn't told you. It was just... too painful."

Annabeth bit her lip.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I should've known you had a reason for not saying anything."

Thalia waved her off.

"It's fine, you didn't know." she responded. Thalia sighed. "I just... wish I knew what happened to him. Where did he go? Why was he living with the wolves?"

Annabeth looked away.  _Gods I'm such a hypocrite. Here I am getting mad at her for not  telling me every single detail about her life and yet I am not telling her the truth about her brother. He might be Roman, but it's obvious he meant a lot to Thalia._

She squeezed her hands into fists.  _What kind of friend am I? I should've known from how much she cared about him that he was some kind of relative. I should've just told her and everyone else from the start._

"After this chapter is over... Can we have a break?" Annabeth asked. "I just need to... clear my head."

Seeing her daughter's worn out expression, Athena nodded her head. "Of course." 

Percy noticed too.

"You ok?" he asked, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "You know that Thalia's not mad at you, right? You didn't know."

"I know." she said. "I just... did something that I shouldn't have."

The son of Poseidon frowned.  _So she does know something about Jason. What did he tell her?_

Percy glanced over at the boy. The son of Hephaestus was struggling to make a house of cards.  _Guess there's only one way to find out._

**..."You have swear not to tell anyone else," he said.**

**"Jason-"**

**"Swear it," he urged. "Until I figure out what's going on, what this all means-" he rubbed the burned tattoo on his forearm. "You have to keep a secret."**

Annabeth flinched at that. 

**Annabeth hesitated, but her curiosity won out.**

_It always does._ Percy thought.

**"All right. Until you tell me it's okay, I won't share what you say with anyone else. I swear on the River Styx."**

_At least Leo didn't make me swear on the River of Styx._ Annabeth wasn't sure if she should feel honored by that or even worse since she was tempted to go against his trust.  _If I can just talk to him and get him to see things from my perspective, maybe it'll work out._

**Thunder rumbled, even louder than usual for the cabin.**

_**You are our saving Grace,** _ **the wolf had snarled.**

"Oh! I get it now!" Travis exclaimed, he burst out laughing. 

"I get the feeling she was waiting for  _years_ to use that one!" Connor said, laughing along with him.

"Probably not. She might've just reused a joke." Leo snickered. "Either way, it's pretty bad."

**Jason picked up the photo from the floor.**

**"My last name is Grace."** **he said. "This is my sister."**

"At least he remembers me." Thalia said, sadly smiling.

**Annabeth turned pale.**

**...Then the doors of the cabin burst open. Half a dozen campers spilled in, led by the bald guy from Iris, Butch.**

**"Hurry!" he said, and Jason couldn't tell if his expression was excitement or fear. "The dragon is back."**

_Please don't tell me the dragon malfunctioned again._ Jake pleaded.

Grover nervously gulped.

"I'm done." Drew said, closing the book.

She then began neatly putting her make up in her hand bag.

As the demigods were led back the dining room, Leo couldn't help but feel the three sets of eyes staring a hole through his back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *~ Honestly that would explain so much.


	16. Piper XV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!
> 
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.

Absentmindedly Leo handed Travis a card as he forced himself to keep his eyes on his deck.

He knew Connor was looking over his shoulder, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

 _Are they still...?_ Leo glanced up and looked to his right.

Percy and Thalia were whispering to each other as they openly stared at him.

 _Yep._  he thought with a resigned sigh.  _What about...?_

He looked behind him.

Annabeth was still standing there a couple feet away, muttering to herself. When their eyes met, the son of Hephaestus resisted the urge to shudder. Like the last time he checked, she didn't even bother to pretend she wasn't staring. Her stormy grey eyes  continued staring him down intensely.

 _Uh-huh._  Leo quickly turned away.  _Still doing... whatever the Hades that is._

He had a feeling that Annabeth wanted to talk more about Jason's past (why else would she be looking at him?) But what about the other two? Why were they acting like they were doing some kind of stake out? Did they think he was going to try to sneak away and burn the books again? Or was it something different?

"Leo," Travis said impatiently, interrupting his thoughts. "Could you take this game more seriously?"

"Yeah, you're making cheating too easy." Connor complained, falling back on the bench.

"Sorry."

"Are you okay? You've been really quiet." Travis shoved the other Stoll away when he attempted to look at his cards.

"It's nothing," he dismissed. "I was just day dreaming. Do you have any threes?"

The brothers exchanged looks but didn't press the subject.

"Go fish." Travis lied.

Leo took a card from the deck.

The trio were on their fifth round of 'Go Fish' (Travis: 2, Connor: 3, and Leo: 0 -big shock), when Annabeth tapped his shoulder.

"We need to talk." she said. Annabeth spoke clearly and confidently as if she had a whole plan figured out and he was going to follow it step by step. "Alone."

"Trying to make Percy jealous?" Connor teased, he shrank back after seeing the look on her face. 

"Let's go." she told Leo. He barely had time to put his cards face down on the table (not that it would've stopped them from cheating) before he followed her.

As soon as he started walking away from the bench, nearly everyone's heads snapped up to see where he was going. They relaxed when they saw he was following Annabeth.

 _Geez! You try to burn a pile of books and run away once, now everyone thinks they need to watch your every step. _Leo rolled his eyes.

They walked into the hallway for a bit before Annabeth pulled him into a random room.

Inside, the room was designed like a Victorian style room.

"Ancient Greek Gods with a Victorian style living room? Weird. Whose idea was this?" Leo said, looking around the room, taking in the interior designing.

Annabeth didn't look as surprised.

"The gods have moved from civilization to civilization for centuries." she reminded him. "They must've picked up some of the culture when they were in Europe."

There was a flicker of anxiousness in her face, before she schooled her features and grabbed her necklace. She took a deep breath and let it out. 

"I think we should tell Thalia the truth." she said.  _Just get it out of the way and tell him how you feel._ "She needs to know what happened to her brother."

Leo groaned. He would've agreed with the idea if he knew how Thalia would react. Sure, she had been pretty chill about Jason's Roman side in the future, but then again, so had Annabeth and look how well  _that_ turned out. 

"I thought we agreed to wait until everyone figured out." he said tiredly, flopping on a nearby chair. 

"They practically did, you heard what Percy said earlier." she pointed out.  She looked down at her shoes and sighed. "I don't like the idea of keeping something this important from anyone, especially Thalia. She thought he was dead for years! She should know what happened to him. Wouldn't you want to know if you were her?"

Leo hesitated before shaking his head.

"We can't just tell her," he said. "What are we supposed to say? ' _Hey Thalia! Jay's a Roman demigod and he spent years living with his people and the woodland creatures!'_ There's no telling what she'll say-"

Leo was so caught up in his words, he didn't hear the soft gasp  behind the door but Annabeth did. She silently cut the son of Hephaestus off and put a finger to her lips.

She walked to the door.

When she opened the door, Leo couldn't help but feel a sense of dread at the sight of Percy and Thalia gawking at the doorway.

"Great! Just great!" he grumbled under his breath. Leo drummed his fingers on the armrest. "How much did you hear?"

"Roman demigods exist?" Percy asked. Leo stood up and paced around the room.

"And Jason's one of them." Thalia said slowly, her voice full of shock. She stood in the doorway with a dumbfounded expression.

"I didn't tell them to come here!" Annabeth hurriedly told the son of Hephaestus. "I swear I didn't-"

"I know you didn't." Leo said as if it were obvious. Truthfully, he was more mad at himself than the others. If he had just kept quiet, none of this would be happening. "This just makes things more complicated..."

"I'm sorry, but can someone explain to me what's going on?" Percy asked sheepishly.

Leo rolled his eyes. "The guy who eavesdrops now wants an explanation.  _Fine._ I'll explain it." It was better to have it come from him than to have Annabeth explain the situation.

After making sure there weren't any  _more_ people listening in (with how nosy everyone was, Leo couldn't be to sure), the son of Hephaestus told the two the history between the Greeks and the Romans.

Percy listened intently to his words. He occasionally stopped him to ask questions, but other than that, was quiet during his brief history lesson.

Thalia was sitting on a chair staring down at her lap. She seemed to be listening but was still shocked by the sudden revelation.

"...We've had a lot of misunderstandings, but we're not enemies." Leo stressed for what seemed like the 800th time. "We've just... Um... We're working it out."

Silence.

Annabeth stood patiently as she waited for the other two to gather their thoughts.

Leo crossed his arms and chewed the inside of his cheek, bracing himself for their reaction.

"This..." Percy began. "This is..." He blinked. "Wow."

"It's a lot to take in." Annabeth said understandingly. "I can't believe we're this unlucky, first the giants and now the Romans."

She ignored the look Leo gave her.

"What are you talking about?" he asked with a slow smile. " This is great!"

Out of all the things he expected Percy to say, that  _definitely_ wasn't it. Leo stared at the other boy in disbelief as he struggled to voice his confusion.

"Huh?"  _Yeah, that'll work._

"This is awesome!" Percy said with more conviction. "Now we have more people out there who can help us defeat the giants!"

"But... But..." Leo fumbled. He held his hands up. " _Wait!_ Aren't you angry that Romans still exist? Or hate them? Not that I'm complaining or anything, but still... How are you just...  _okay_ with Roman demigods?"

Percy looked at him as if  _he_ was being the weird one.

"Why would I hate them? I don't even know them." Percy said. "It doesn't matter what they are, demigods are demigods, right?" he shrugged. 

Percy Jackson, Leo decided, is freakin' awesome.

"We've been enemies for years," Annabeth reminded him. "They attacked Camp Half-Blood."

The son of Poseidon hesitated. "Yeah but... Did we ever try talking it out with them? Make some kind of Peace Treaty? Or find out why we're fighting in the first place? What's the point in fighting if we don't even remember why? We should just work together."

Now it was Annabeth's turn to look hesitate. "It can't be that easy..." 

"Why not? Maybe they don't like fighting with us either." Percy took her hand and squeezed it. "It's worth a try, right? Imagine how much more we could've done if they helped us fight in the Titian War."

Annabeth froze before nodding.

"You're right. It would've more efficient." she slowly admitted with dawning realization. "You know, you're pretty smart Seaweed Brain."

Percy leaned closer and rested his forehead against hers. "You're pretty smart yourself, Wise Girl."

 _Ugh! Really? Did they just forget that we're still here?_ Leo rolled his eyes. 

"Okay, okay! Break it up you two! We've got other things to talk about!" he snapped his fingers.

The two immediately broke apart.

"Sorry." Percy said with a goofy smile.

"No you're not, but it's okay."  _You get used to it when you're on a ship with three different couples._ Leo thought. "Anyways, now that you know about the Romans, you can't tell the others."

Percy blinked at him, 

"Why?"

The son of Hephaestus paced around the room again. "Not every Greek is as accepting towards Romans as you are. I don't know why, but it's like we got this natural  _hatred_ towards each other. You've seen the others' reactions towards Jay's Roman words. Plus, the gods don't want us to know about each other. There's no telling how they'll react if the other demigods start freaking out!"

The son of Hephaestus shuddered. He turned to Percy and Thalia.

"You gotta promise me that you won't tell anyone. Swear on the River of Styx."

It all made sense in Leo's head. All they had to do was keep their mouths shut and leave the others in the dark about the Romans. Sure it sounded bad that he wanted them to withhold information and he wasn't exactly a big fan of the whole secrets thing either, but he didn't think they... well...  _he_ was ready for them to know the truth. After Annabeth's reaction and hearing the others' comments, he was still uneasy about them knowing.

So, of course, Percy Jackson had to look at him straight in the eye and say: "No."

Thalia and Annabeth looked at him in surprise.

Leo felt his heart stop.

"Wha..." Leo felt his brain short circuit, before he gathered his thoughts. "Are you trying to start a second Civil War in this building?! They can't know! At least... not now." he added after seeing the look on Annabeth's face.

"We just need to convince them." Percy insisted, looking to Annabeth and Thalia for backup.  _Naturally_ they nodded their heads in agreement, but Thalia looked a little nervous (not as nervous as  _Leo_ felt, but still) as she nodded along. "If you can just tell them about the positives of working with the Romans and how things are coming along between them and us-"

" _Wait!_ Me?!" Leo emphasized, pointing to himself. "What happened to 'we'?!" 

Percy looked surprised he even asked.

"Well, it has to be you. You're the only here who's met the Romans face-to-face and can tell us what's it like to have a relationship with them." he said, before adding thoughtfully. "Maybe that's why Nemesis brought you here."

"The sooner they know the better," Thalia added. "It would make things easier if they heard it from you than make assumptions on their own. I don't want the others to hate Jay before he comes to Camp."

"We should tell them during this chapter." Annabeth suggested.

"This is going to end badly, you're making a mistake." Leo warned, rubbing his temples.  _You're trusting the guy who fired a_ _ballista at a Roman City!_

Even his relationships with the Romans on the ship were  _bad_ ; He and Frank have a strained relationship  _at best_  (What even were they? Friends? Frenemies?) and his relationship with Hazel was more convoluted than a  _Mission Impossible_  movie.  _Heck_ , the only Roman he got along with, without any problems, was Jason.

 _And they want me to be some kind of Roman Ambassador...?_ Leo felt the room start to spin.  _Are they nuts? They're the most influential demigods in the Camp! Why can't they say something?!_

" _Wait_. Just give me some time,"  _To leave! I gotta get outta here!_ He stumbled back. Was the room always this cramped? Why was it so hot?  _I just..._ "Gotta think of something..."

Thalia grabbed his shoulder to stop him from swaying.

"Are you okay?" she frowned. "Your jacket's smoldering."  

Without thinking, he randomly patted down different parts of his coat.

"Fine!" he squeaked, his voice sounding miles away. "Just a sec."

Thankfully he managed to pull himself together before he would embarrass himself further.

Annabeth gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"Are you okay? Do you need some water?"

Leo shook his head. Big mistake. He inwardly groaned and ignored the spots in his vision. 

"I'm fine." he repeated. "Let's just... Not bring it up so suddenly. How about we wait until the book mentions it."

_That should buy me enough time, right?_

"It would be better if they had context." Annabeth said. "We can't exactly just spring this on them."

"It shouldn't take too long." Thalia added.

 _No kidding. With the way Jay keeps bringing up the Romans, I'll probably have until another Jason chapter to get out of here._ Leo brushed his hair back.

"Sounds good." Percy said. "Let's head back before the others start reading."

Leo grimaced in response but followed the others out. His mind whirling with different thoughts.

* * *

By the time they got back, the others were already in the throne room getting ready to read.

Leo sat down next to the Stolls.

"You look terrible." Travis commented, seeing the worn out look on his face. "What happened to you? What did they tell you?"

Leo didn't seem to hear him as he continued staring at nothing.

"Hey."  Connor shook his shoulder.

He jumped. "Huh? What?"

"What. Happened?" Connor said slowly. "You look like you've been pulling all-nighters for the past week."

"Feels like it." he admitted. "Nothing happened. It's not important."

Leo went back to thinking. 

"Does anybody want to read?" Athena asked, once everyone was seated.

"I will." Poseidon said with a shrug.

Taking the book, he sat back in his throne and began to read.

" **Piper XV** ," Poseidon began.

**Piper woke up and immediately grabbed a mirror.**

**There were plenty of those in the Aphrodite cabin. She sat on her bunk, looked at her reflection and groaned.**

**She was _still_ gorgeous.**

_Trust me, she did you favor._ Drew huffed. 

**...she'd tried everything. She messed up her hair, washed the make up off her face, cried to make her eyes red. Nothing worked.**

"She really hates what you did to her, Aphrodite." Hestia remarked.

 _Maybe I should claim her the old fashioned way._ Aphrodite thought before quickly dismissing it.  _Nah!_

"How long does that even last?" Annabeth asked.

"A couple days, maybe a week." the goddess of love shrugged.

 _That sucks._ Annabeth thought, thinking about Piper's reaction when she finds out.

**She would've changed clothes, but she had nothing to change into. The other Aphrodite campers offered her some clothes (laughing behind her back, she was sure),**

Aphrodite frowned and gave her children a disapproving look.

Leo was muttering quietly to himself, drumming with his fingers on the wall.

**but each outfit was even more fashionable and ridiculous than what she had on.**

Drew rolled her eyes. "Talk about ungrateful. We're trying to help her and this is the thanks we get."

"She's not ungrateful, she just doesn't have the same taste in clothes." the goddess told her daughter.

**...Even that horrible zit at the base of her nose, which she'd had for so many days she'd started to call it Bob, had disappeared.**

"...She...  _named it_?!" Aphrodite had a full body shudder. 

 _Ew! What kind of freak does that?_ Drew's face turned green.

The Stolls laughed.

"Poor Bob!" Travis exclaimed in mock sympathy.

**[Drew] "Oh honey, it won't go away." Her voice dripped with false sympathy. "Mom's blessing will last _at least_ another day. Maybe a week if you're lucky."**

**Piper gritted her teeth. "A _week_?"**

**The other Aphrodite kids- about a dozen girls and five guys- smirked and snickered at her discomfort.**

"First impressions are important. You not only have to look best but you have to be on your best behavior. If you treat Piper like this, she'll think you're a bunch of spoiled brats. Understand?" Aphrodite scolded her children.

Cabin Ten mumbled a 'yes'.

**Piper knew she should play cool, not let them get under her skin. She'd dealt with shallow, popular kids plenty of times.**

The goddess's frown deepened at that. _They're not shallow. They're good kids._

**But this was different. There were her brothers and sisters, even if she had _nothing_ in common with them, and how Aphrodite had managed to have so many kids so close in age... Never mind. She didn't want to know.**

"It's a  _long_ story." Aphrodite giggled. 

Hera made a noise of disgust. 

The Cabin Ten campers pretended they didn't even hear her.

**"Don't worry, hon." Drew blotted her fluorescent lipstick. "You thinking you don't belong here? We couldn't agree more.**

" _Drew!_ " Aphrodite gasped. "That is not how a camp councilor speaks to someone. Especially if that someone is their sister!"

Her daughter pointedly ignored her and the others' glares.

 _It's the truth._ Drew scowled.  _The sooner she leaves the better._

**Isn't that right, _Mitchell_?"**

Mitchell flinched.  _Oh gods, why me?_

**..."Um, yeah. Sure."**

**...Everybody started rushing around, making beds and folding clothes, while Drew scooped up her makeup kit, hair dryer, and brush and marched into the bathroom.**

**Someone inside yelped, and a girl about eleven was kicked out, hastily wrapped in towels with shampoo in her hair.**

Aphrodite's jaw went slack.

"You couldn't even wait for her to get the shampoo out of her hair." Percy said through gritted teeth.

"Why would you do that? You know that's wrong." the goddess said

"I don't know why I did it, it's the future." she shrugged. "I could've just had a bad day."

"Bad days don't mean you push people out of the showers." Nico pointed out.

**The door slammed shut, and the girl started to cry.**

Hestia sympathetically winced.

**A couple of older campers comforted her and wiped the bubbles out of her hair.**

**"Seriously?" Piper said to no one in particular. "You let Drew treat you like this?"**

"She has a point." Annabeth said to Aphrodite's kids. "You don't have to let her walk all over you."

The Aphrodite kids hesitated as they glanced at Drew.

**...The guys had one row of bunks separated by a curtain, but their section of the cabin was neat and orderly as the girls'. Something was _definitely_  unnatural about that. Every camper had a wooden camp chest at the foot of their bunk with their name painted on it, and Piper guessed that the clothes in each chest were neatly folded and color coordinated.**

_Cabin Ten always clean, but not that clean._ Percy frowned.

'Drew.' Annabeth mouthed to him.

**The only bit of individualism was how the campers decorated their private bunk spaces. Each had slightly different pictures tacked up of whatever celebrities they thought were hot.**

Artemis and her hunters rolled their eyes.

**...Piper hoped she might not see _The Poster._  It had been almost a year since the movie, and she thought by now surely everyone had torn down those old tattered advertisements and tacked up something newer. But no such luck.**

Despite being deep in his thoughts, Leo couldn't help but smile at the mention of  _The Poster._

"The Poster?" Annabeth asked.

**...The title was lurid red: _KING OF SPARTA_. Under that, the poster showed the leading man- a three-quarter shot of bare-chested bronze flesh, with ripped pectorals and six-pack abs. He was clad in only a Greek war kilt and a purple cape, sword in hand. He looked like he'd just been rubbed in oil, his short black hair gleaming and rivulets of sweat pouring off his rugged face, those dark sad eyes facing the camera as if to say,  _I will kill your men and steal your women! Ha-ha!_**

Aphrodite dreamily sighed.

A couple Aphrodite girls sighed too, some siblings giggled and pushed each other.

 _I've seen the trailers, but what was the name of that leading actor?_ Annabeth thought.

 **...Piper couldn't get away from it at school, walking down the street, even online. It became _The Poster_ , the most embarrassing thing in her life. And yeah, it was a picture of her dad.**  

The Aphrodite kids froze in mid-giggle. A couple faces flushed.

 **...She straightened her bed, then realized the top blanket was the one Jason had wrapped around her shoulders last night. She picked it up and pressed it to her face.**  

Artemis raised a eyebrow.

Aphrodite looked disappointed.

 _She wants her blanket to smell like a boy?_ Artemis gagged.  _Now I know she's Aphrodite's daughter._

 **...** **"'Scuse me," said a voice by her feet. The garbage patrol guy, Mitchell, was crawling around on all fours...**

Mitchell grimaced.

**She moved out of his way. "What'd you do to make Drew mad?"**

**He glanced over at the bathroom door to make sure it was still closed. "Last night, after you were claimed, I said you might not be so bad."**

"Well, it's better than nothing." the goddess said.

 _I could try... No... But what about?_ Leo frowned, pulling up his sleeves.  _No, that can't be possible... Can it? I mean, I did make a flying ship... _

"Hey," he said to the Stoll brothers. "Do either one of you have a cell phone I could borrow?"

Connor suddenly looked depressed. "I  _had_  a phone." 

"Maybe I have one. What are you willing to trade?" Travis asks.

"Why would I have to trade anything? You still have my playing cards!" Leo pointed to the cards sticking out of his pocket.

Travis instinctively put his hand over his pocket.

"How do you know they're yours? Could've been a gift." the son of Hermes lied.

Connor smiled and nodded along. "It could've been, you don't have any proof."

" _Proof?_ Are you kidding me? That's obviously- Urgh! Whatever! Look, you can keep the cards if you let me borrow the phone."

"And the push pins." Connor added, nodding to the ones sticking on the wall.

"What do you even want with...?" Leo sighed. "Who cares? Fine you can have the cards  _and_ the push pins." 

"Sweet!" The two high five each other. 

Travis handed Leo the Samsung.

"Remember, you're supposed to give it  _back._ " he reminded.

"You're the one to talk." Leo muttered, opening the internet app.

Connor moved to pluck the pins off the wall.

**It wasn't much of a compliment, but Piper was stunned. An Aphrodite kid had actually stood up for her?**

"We're not all jerks." Mitchell muttered. A couple people next to him nodded.

Aphrodite gave her son a grateful smile.

**...A girl with blond pigtails and braces raced up with a pile of clothes in her arms. She looked around furtively like she was delivering nuclear materials.**

**"I brought you these," she whispered.**

**"Piper, meet Lacy." Mitchell said, still crawling around on the floor.**

**"Hi," Lacy said breathlessly. "You _can_ change clothes. The blessing won't stop you. This is just, you know, a backpack, some rations, ambrosia and nectar for emergencies, some jeans, a few extra shirts, and a warm jacket. The boots might be a little snug. But- well- we took up a collection. Good luck on your quest!"**

"I'm so proud!" Aphrodite cooed at her children.

Lacy shyly smiled back.

**Lacy dumped the things on the bed and started to hurry away, but Piper caught her arm. "Hold on. At least let me thank you! Why are you rushing off?"**

**..."I might have to wear the shoes of shame!" Lacy gulped.**

A couple people stared at Lacy as if she grew a second head.

"What's so bad about that?" Nico asked.

"I-I-I don't know." Lacy shivered. "D-Drew hasn't made up new rules yet."

Taking out a small notepad and a golf pencil, Leo began hastily scribbling down notes.

**...Lacy and Mitchell both pointed to the black shelf mounted in the corning of the room, like an alter. Displayed on it were a hideous pair of orthopedic nurse's shoes, bright white with thick soles.**

Dramatic gasps could be heard coming from the Cabin Ten group. A couple members frantically fanned their faces.

" _Oh Fates!_ " Aphrodite gasped, clutching her chest. "They still sell those?! Drew, how could you! To your own siblings!"

"It'll motivate them not to break the rules." Drew replied.

"There are other ways! You don't have to go to the extremes!" The goddess raked her hand through her hair. "Fates.." 

To actually make someone walk in those shoes... Maybe Drew wasn't fit to be camp councilor... Aphrodite realized.

**"I had to wear them for a week once," Lacy whimpered. "They don't go with _anything_!"**

Aphrodite winced. 

 _Awful._ she thought sadly.  _Just awful._

Lacy looked like she was seconds away from fainting at the news.

Mitchell comfortingly patted her back.

**..."Charmspeak..." Piper remembered last night, the way the crowd at the campfire had swayed back and forth between Drew's opinion and hers. "You mean, like, you could talk someone into doing things. Or... giving you things. Like a car?"**

**"Oh, don't give Drew any ideas!" Lacy gasped.**

**"But yeah," Mitchell said. "She could do that."**

**"So that's why she's head counselor," Piper said. "She convinced you all?"**

Drew looked offended by that. 

"I had to earn my title." she huffed.

**Mitchell picked up a nasty wad of gum from under Piper's bed. "Nah, she inherited the post when Silena Beauregard died in the war.**

Aphrodite winced.

Clarisse lowered her head.

"Silena Beauregard?" Leo repeated, looking up from the cell phone. "Who's she?"

"She's a hero." Clarisse firmly told him. She glared at him, silently daring him to disagree.

Percy nodded with agreement.

"Oh. Okay." Leo was still confused, but he didn't ask any further questions. He jotted down more notes.

**..."Yes, I did!" Suddenly Drew was there, leaning against the bunk. Lacy squeaked like a guinea pig and tried to run, but Drew put an arm out to stop her. She looked down at Mitchell. "I think you missed some trash, sweetie. You'd better make another pass."**

**Piper glanced toward the bathroom and saw that Drew had dumped everything from the bathroom waste bin- some pretty _nasty_ things- all over the floor.**

Mitchell grimaced.

The Aphrodite kids knowingly winced.

**Mitchell sat up on his hunches. He glared at Drew like he was about to attack (which Piper would've paid money to see)...**

_I doubt that._ Drew rolled her eyes.  _She has tons of money, but barely uses it. Cheapskate._

**Drew smiled. "See, Piper, hon, we're a good cabin here.**

_We were._ Lacy miserably corrected.

 **A good family! Silena Beauregard,** **though... you could take a warning from her. She was secretly passing information to Kronos in the Titan War, helping the _enemy_."**

Everyone else tensed.

Clarisse's eye twitched. 

" _What?"_ she said through clenched teeth.

**...Piper got the feeling Drew was looking straight into her soul, pulling out her secrets.**

**_Helping the enemy._ **

**"Oh, none of the other cabins talk about it," Drew confided. "They act like Silena Beauregard was a hero."**

"She  _was_  a hero!" Clarisse growled to the teen.

"We know that." Chris said, in a effort to calm her.

Aphrodite looked horrified. "You  _don't_ think your sister was a hero? Silena sacrificed her life!"

 _So what? She still betrayed us. It's practically her fault we were fighting Kronos in the first place._ Drew silently rolled her eyes.

**"She sacrificed her life to make things right," Mitchell grumbled. "She _was_ a hero."**

**"Mmm-hmm," Drew said. "Another day on garbage patrol, Mitchell.**

Said demigod let out an annoyed sigh.

 **But _anyways_ , Silena lost track of what this cabin is about. We match up cute couples at camp! Then we break them apart and start over! It's the best fun ever.** 

"You're all more than that." Aphrodite told her children sadly. "Being matchmakers is fun, but Cabin Ten is more than just a bunch of cute faces."

**We don't have any business getting involved in other stuff like wars and quests. _I_ certainly haven't been on any quests. They're a waste of time!"**

The demigods stared at her with disbelief and anger.

"Wow. You act as if quests are an optional field trip." Leo said, going back to Google.

"Do you have any idea how many times I saved your life, because I went on a 'waste of time' quest?" Percy clenched his hands.

"Didn't you  _want_ to go on a quest a few chapters ago?" Annabeth pointed out with a scowl.

Drew bit her lip and scooted back a little.

**..."Most of all," Drew continued, "we certainly don't need our image tarnished by spies, do we, _Piper_?"**

"How do you know she's a spy?" Annabeth asked.

Drew shrugged. She probably saw how freaked out Piper was when she mentioned Silena's betrayal, and decided to keep bringing up the spy thing.

**..."It's too bad you won't be around," Drew sighed. "But if you survive your little quest, don't worry, I'll find somebody to match up with you. Maybe one of those gross Hephaestus guys.**

Leo rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks."

His father glared at Drew. Calling him ugly was one thing, but calling his children ugly was another thing entirely.

**Or Clovis? He's pretty repulsive."**

"Hey! Clovis isn't repulsive! He's just... Clovis!" Travis defended.

**Drew looked her over with a mix of pity and disgust. "Honestly, I didn't think it was _possible_ for Aphrodite to have an ugly child,**

Aphrodite looked like she had been slapped.

**but... who _was_ your father? Was he some sort of mutant, or-"**

**"Tristan McLean," Piper snapped.**

Leo let out a low whistle.

"Wow, you really pissed her off. She never used the 'famous dad' card."

"Tristan McLean?  _Oh_ ,  _duh_!" Annabeth smacked her forehead. "I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner!"

**..."Oh my god!" half the girls screamed at once.**

Just like they did now.

"I knew that hot body sounded familiar!" One girl giggled.

"Do you think she could get me an autograph!" Another girl whispered excitedly to her sibling.

"Maybe she'll let us meet him in person!"

A couple girls screamed with joy in response.

The hunters stared at them as if they were alien life forms from another planet.

"I can see why Piper didn't want to tell anybody." Annabeth muttered to her boyfriend.

**"Sweet!" A guy said. "The dude with the sword who killed that other dude in the movie?"**

Phoebe snorted.

**"He is _so_ hot for an old guy," a girl said, and then she blushed.**

_Even if that's true. You don't say that out loud in of his daughter!_ Annabeth made a face.

**"Do you think you could get me his autograph?" another girl asked.**

**Piper forced a smile. She couldn't say, _if my dad survives..._**

Aphrodite grimaced.

**"Yeah, no problem," she managed.**

**The girl squealed in excitement, and more kids surged forward, asking a dozen questions at once.**

"That must have been uncomfortable for her." Hestia muttered.

**..."Have you had your rite of passage?"**

Aphrodite crossed her arms and sighed at the mention of that.

**That one caught Piper off guard. "Rite of what?" she asked.**

Cabin Ten members nervously giggled and pushed each other around.

"Seriously, she doesn't even know that?" Drew groaned. 

"She just started Camp." Mitchell reminded her.

"Whatever."

 **"The rite of passage for an Aphrodite child," one explained.** **"You get someone to fall in love with you. Then you break their heart. Dump them. Once you do that, you've proven yourself worthy of Aphrodite."**

"That's horrible!" Katie gasped.

"She's right." Aphrodite said. "Love isn't something you should play with."

"You do it all the time!" Drew accused.

Aphrodite twirled a lock of her hair.  _How do I put this?_ "What I do is more complicated than that. I don't play matchmaker, I  _am_ the matchmaker. When I put couples together, I give them problems to test if they are truly meant to be together. Sometimes couples stay together and become stronger," she glanced at Percy and Annabeth. "and sometimes they don't and I have to find someone else for them. Besides you don't need to make love complicated for others to prove yourself worthy of me. I'm already proud to have you all as my children."

The goddess repainted her nails, her mind was racing.  _Did I do that right? I got the point across, right?_

Cabin Ten looked shocked before they widely smiled.

Percy grinned.

**..."Oh my god!" a girl said. "I bet Aphrodite broke your _dad's_ heart! I bet he never loved anyone again, did he?**

Aphrodite sadly frowned. No matter how many times she tried to pair him up with someone else, he always refused to fall in love.

**..."Forget it!" Piper yelled, a little louder than she'd intended. The other kids backed away. "I'm _not_ breaking somebody's heart just for a stupid rite of passage!"**

**Which of course gave Drew a chance to take back control. "Well, there you go!" she cut in. "Silena said the same thing. She broke the tradition, fell in love with that Beckendorf boy, and _stayed_ in love. If you ask me, that's why things ended tragically for her."**

Chris and Katie grabbed Clarisse's arms to prevent her from charging at Drew.

"You little-"

"Clarisse, please!" Chris interrupted tugging her arm.

"She's not worth it!" Katie added.

"Don't listen to them! Beat her to a pulp!" Ares encouraged.

"Ares!" Aphrodite yelled, slapping the back of his head.

She turned to Clarisse. "Please calm down, I'll deal with this."

After more coaxing, Clarisse sat down. She sent Drew a look that promised a slow painful death.

"Drew, after this, I think we need to talk about your position as camp councilor." The goddess of love told her.

Drew scowled as Cabin Ten silently cheered.

 **Mitchell and Lacy helped Piper pack. T** **hey even guarded the bathroom while Piper went and changed into a better traveling outfit.**

Aphrodite had a small smile on her face.

**...She also noticed that the _KING OF SPARTA_ poster had been wadded up and thrown in the trash. Drew's orders, no doubt.**

"At least she saved Piper the trouble of doing it herself." Leo muttered, opening another website. 

**..."Very nice! Our little quest girl all dressed in Dumpster clothes again. Now, off you go! No need to eat breakfast with us. Good luck with... whatever. Bye!"**

The goddess sighed sadly.  _Why can't they just get along?_

**Piper shouldered her bag. She could feel everyone else's eyes on her as she walked to the door. She could just leave and forget about it. That would've been the easy thing. What did she care about this cabin, and these shallow kids?**

The Aphrodite kids flinched.

**Except some of them tried to help her. Some of them had even stood up to Drew for her.**

**She turned at the door. "You know, you don't have to follow Drew's orders."**

**..."She's a tyrant,"**

Aphrodite winced at the choice of words, but she agreed.  _Power changes a lot of good people._

 **...** **"People!" Drew screeched. "Don't be stupid! She's charmspeaking you."**

**...Piper simply meant what she said. Besides, even if she tried charmspeaking, she had a feeling it wouldn't work very well on another charmspeaker like Drew.**

"It wouldn't." Aphrodite informed.

**Drew sneered at her. "You may have a little power, Miss Movie Star. But you don't know the first thing about Aphrodite.**

"She apparently knows more than you." Nico muttered.

**You have such great ideas? What do you think this cabin is about, then? Tell them. Then maybe I'll tell them a few things about _you_ , huh?"**

**Piper wanted to make a withering retort, but her anger turned to panic. She was a spy for the enemy, just like Silena Beauregard.**

Everyone frowned at that.

**An Aphrodite traitor. Did Drew know about that, or was she bluffing?**

"She's bluffing, there's no way Drew could've know." Annabeth said.

**..."Not this," Piper managed. "Aphrodite is not about this."**

_That's it?_ Drew snorted.  _That's the best she got? I could've gotten better from a_ _Wikipedia  page._

**Then she turned and stormed out before the other could see her blushing. Behind her, Drew started laughing. " _Not this_? Hear that, people? She doesn't have a clue!"**

**Piper promised herself she would never _ever_ go back to that cabin.**

The Aphrodite kids' frowns deepened.

"Good." Drew grumbled.  _Who needs her._

**She blinked away her tears and stormed across the green, not sure where she was going- until she saw the dragon swooping down from the sky.**

"Finished." Poseidon said.

Eyes widened in disbelief.

Grover turned deathly pale.

"The dragon has wings?" Nyssa said.

"Yup! Pretty cool, huh?" Leo smiled proudly.

"Totally!" The Stolls exclaimed.

"It's good that you got a ride," Jake said hesitantly. "But can it make it through the quest?"

Leo stopped writing and looked up. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Jake played with the bolt in his hand. "You said a couple chapters ago the dragon had some problems you couldn't fix. Won't that cause any issues on the quest?"

Nyssa worriedly frowned.

Leo nervously laughed.

"No way! Festus was, for the most part, perfectly fine to ride on during the quest."

"For the most part?" Nico picked up.

Leo's eyes darted around the room, as if searching for an answer.

"Uh... Hey, don't we have another chapter to read? Why doesn't Clovis read?" Leo happily suggested. He attempted to shake the boy awake.

Clovis lazily swatted his arms as he continued to sleep on.

Hera rolled her eyes.

" _I'll_ read next." she said, taking the book from her brother.

" **Piper XVI** ," she began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a massive writer's block rewriting this chapter, so I hope you guys enjoyed it.


	17. Piper XVI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!
> 
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.

" **Piper XVI** ," Hera read.

**"Leo?" she yelled.**

**Sure enough, there he was, sitting atop a giant bronze death machine and grinning like a lunatic. Even before he landed, the camp alarm went up. A conch horn blew. All the satyrs started screaming, "Don't kill me!"**

_Just run._ Grover thought, silently praying Leo had the dragon under control.  _It's all you can do. Run as fast as you can._

The Stolls snickered,

 _Nostalgic._ Leo thought with a wide smile. Taking a calculator out of his tool belt, he quickly double-checked his math.

**Half the camp ran outside in a mixture of pajamas and armor. The dragon set down right in the middle of the green, and Leo yelled, "It's cool! Don't shoot!"**

**...The warriors backed away, keeping their spears and swords ready. They made a loose wide ring around the metal monster.**

**Other demigods hid behind their cabin doors or peeped out the windows...**

**Piper couldn't blame them...It glistened in the morning sun like a living penny sculpture- different shades of copper and bronze- a sixty-foot-long serpent with steel talons and drill-bit teeth... It had bat-shaped wings twice its length that unfurled like metallic sails, making a sound like coins cascading out of a slot machine every time they flapped.**

**"It's beautiful," Piper muttered.**

"She's got good taste." Leo said, scribbling down another formula. He glanced over at the phone, before adding some corrections.

"All my children have good taste." Aphrodite giggled. "What can I say? It runs in the family."

A couple gods rolled their eyes at this.

**The other demigods stared at her like she was insane.**

**The dragon reared its head and shot a column of fire into the sky.**

Nyssa, Jake, and Nico tensed.

"Relax." Leo reassured them. "It's cool."

**Campers scrambled away and hefted their weapons, but Leo slid calmly off the dragon's back. He held up his hands like he was surrendering, except he still had that crazy grin on his face.**

**"People of Earth, I come in peace!" he shouted.** Hera rolled her eyes as she read that out loud.

Hermes and his sons laughed.

**His curly hair was so oily, it stuck up in porcupine quills, and he smelled strangely of Tabasco sauce. But he looked absolutely delighted. "Festus is just saying hello!"**

"That's how he says 'hello'?" Nico mumbled skeptically. 

The son of Hephaestus jotted down a few more notes. "Well... he can't exactly say it."

**..."Stand down!" someone ordered.**

**To Piper's surprise, it was Jason.**

The demigods looked surprised with his sudden burst of leadership.

Thalia thought back to Future Annabeth's earlier remark.  _Maybe he was some kind of leader at the Roman Camp? At least he has some kind of experience..._

**..."It- has wings," Nyssa stammered. Her jaw looked like it might drop off her face.**

A couple people chuckled.

**"Yeah!" Leo said. "I found them and reattached them."**

**"But it never had wings. Where did you find them?"**

**Leo hesitated, and Piper could tell he was hiding something.**

"Never hesitate before you lie," Hermes lectured sternly. " _Never_. I don't care if they put you on the spot or not, the moment you hesitate it's over."

"Sorry." Leo sheepishly smiled.

The god heaved a sigh. "Let's just hope your lie makes up for it."

**"In... the woods," he said.**

Hermes winced as if that lie physically hurt him.

"You heard that?" he asked his sons. "This is a prime example of how  _not_ to lie."

"What should I have said?  _'It just magically appeared!'_ "

"It would've been better than ' _I just found a pair of metal dragon wings randomly placed in the woods!'_ " the god rubbed his forehead. "You could've said the dragon had a secret mechanism that activates its wings, or you made it in the forges overnight.  _Fates,_ you can even say that Hephaestus gave them to you to help on your quest.  _Anything_ would've been better than that."

"Don't worry, we'll teach you the basics." Connor promised.

"Please do." Hermes pleaded. 

**"Repaired his circuits, too, mostly, so no problems with him going haywire."**

**"Mostly?"**

**The dragon's head twitched. It tilted to one side and stream of black liquid- maybe oil, _hopefully_ just oil- poured out of its ear, all over Leo.**

"Er... Is that supposed to happen?" Will asked.

"Maybe we should find a new ride for you guys." Jake said, looking worried about the oil.

"We don't have time for that." Leo reminded. "Besides, it was just a little oil. No big deal."

"It shouldn't be leaking oil at all." Nyssa frowned.

"I can fix the kinks as we go on." he quickly reassured. "It's nothing serious."

Leo handed Travis's phone back, before he continued his math problems.

**"Just a few kinks to work out," Leo said.**

"Festus will be fine! He's the best person (dragon?) for the job!" the son of Hephaestus said happily.

The others exchanged looks but didn't say anything.

**"But how did you survive...?" Nyssa was still staring at the creature in awe. "I mean, the fire breath..."**

**"I'm quick," Leo said. "And lucky. Now am I on this quest, or what?"**

Hermes grimaced. "That wasn't as bad as the first one. But still... You could've said you caught it off guard or tell some long-winded story on how you fought the dragon. You really could've gone a bit more dramatic here, but you did a nice job trying to change the topic. Pretty obvious, but still, better than your lies."

"Thank you?" Leo wasn't sure how he should feel about that.

**Jason scratched his head. "You named him Festus? You know that in Latin, 'festus' means 'happy'?**

"Of course he would know." Clarisse rolled her eyes.

**You want us to ride off to save the world on Happy the Dragon?"**

"I don't see a problem with that." Apollo chuckled.

" _You_ wouldn't." Artemis said.

"Not exactly a name that screams fear, but hey, it works." Chris smiled. "Better than calling it 'the dragon' all the time."

**"That's a yes, bro!" Leo said. "Now, um, I'd really suggest we get going, guys. I already picked up some supplies in the- um, in the woods...**

The god of thieves cover his face with his hands and loudly groaned.

"We've got a lot of work to do." Travis muttered to his brother.

"Why not say you found them in the forges? Or you prayed to your father  _really_ hard and the supplies was brought down on a heavenly cloud?" Hermes threw his hands up in exasperation. "You didn't even have to bring up the supplies! Just hop on the dragon and leave!"

"Sorry!" 

"Next time you lie, please don't ever use the woods again." the god said.

**..."Go," Annabeth said. She was the only who didn't look nervous at all. Her expression was sad and wistful, like this reminded her of better times.**

The couple shared a bittersweet smile.

**...Piper looked at the bronze dragon wings shining against the sky, and those talons that could've shredded her to pieces.**

Aphrodite's face paled

The son of Hephaestus rolled his eyes. "Are you kidding me? Festus loves Piper. He would never hurt her."

**...Flying on the dragon was the most amazing experience ever, Piper thought.**

Leo smiled wistfully. _Yeah it's pretty awesome._

He looked over his math.

**...They sat single file: Leo in front, then Piper, then Jason, and Piper was very aware of Jason right behind her. She wished he would hold on to her, maybe wrap his arms around her waist; but sadly, he didn't.**

_Thank gods._  Drew thought.  _If I had to listen a romantic moment between Jason and Piper right now, I would puke._

**"What if we get spotted?" Piper asked.**

**"The Mist," Jason said. "It keeps mortals from seeing magic things. If they us, they'll probably mistake us for a small plane or something."**

"I thought she already knew this." Drew grumbled, rolling her eyes.

**Piper glanced over her shoulder. "You sure about that?"**

**"No," he admitted. Then Piper saw he was clutching a photo in his hand- a picture of a girl with dark hair.**

The huntress grinned.

**She gave Jason a quizzical look, but he blushed and put the photo in his pocket. "We're making good time. Probably get there by tonight."**

**...Had he remembered something about his life before? Was that a photo of his real girlfriend?**    **  
**

 Thalia's head reared back. 

" _Gods, no!"_ she said, louder than she expected. The others laughed at her reaction.

"She doesn't know." Phoebe said inbetween her giggles.

"Still..." the girl shuddered. 

" _Aww!_ She's jealous of Thalia!" Aphrodite cooed. "Too cute!"

**...She asked a safer question. "Where are we heading?"**

**"To find the North Wind," Jason said. "And chase some storm spirits."**

"Done." Hera said. "Does anybody want to read?"

"I'll read next." Demeter said, taking the book.

She frowned at the large amount of paper on her lap.

 _So many trees have died to make this book._ she thought sadly.

" **Leo XVII** ," Demeter read out loud.

Leo grimaced.

 _Focus, Valdez!_ He tightened his grip on his pencil.  _The faster you get this done, the faster you leave._

With that in mind, he hunched over and began to roughly sketch his blueprints

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really short chapter today, hope you liked it!


	18. Leo XVII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!
> 
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.

" **Leo XVII** ," Demeter read out loud.

**Leo was totally buzzing.**

'Buzzing?' Hestia mouthed to Hermes with a confused look on her face.

'I'll tell you later.' Hermes mouthed back.

**The expression on everyone's faces when he the dragon into camp? Priceless! He thought his cabin mates were going to bust a lug nut.**

Everyone, except his siblings and father, stared at Leo with confusion.

"Lug nut?" Percy asked him.

"No thanks." Leo said, not looking up as he continued writing.

The son of Poseidon made a face. "Um..."

"It's a type of nut used to attach a vehicle's wheel to its axel." Hephaestus explained.

**Festus had been awesome too. He hadn't blowtorched a single cabin or eaten any satyrs,**

"You sound like you expected him to do that." Grover shuddered.

Leo set the notepad to the side and began to untie his shoes.

**even if he dribbled a little oil from his ear.**

"See? I told you it was just a little!" Leo grinned, kicking off his shoes.

**Okay, a _lot_ of oil.**

_Figures._ the son of Hephaestus rolled his eyes before searching through his tool belt.

"First rule of lying:  _Never admit your lying!_ " Travis sighed. "Com'on man, that's Lying 101."

**Leo could work on that later.**

"Shouldn't you do it now?" Thalia asked the boy.

"No, it would take too long to fix." Leo pulled out some tools and a handful of battery packs. "I'll do some repairs on our next stop."

 _How long will that be?_ she couldn't help but wonder with a frown.

**...He could tell them when he came back.**

_**If** _ **I come back, part of him thought.**

Hephaestus's grip on his screwdriver tightened.

**Nah, he'd come back.**

The grip loosened slightly as he continued tinkering.

**...Besides, he had a fire-breathing, only slightly leaky dragon on his side. What could go wrong?**

"Well, you just jinxed it now." Chris sighed, half-expecting a random monster to appear afterwards.

"When you're demigod, anything can go wrong." Percy said. "It sorta comes with the title."

 _**Well the control disk could bust,** _ **the bad part of him suggested.** **_Festus could eat you._**

**Okay, so maybe the dragon wasn't _quite_ as fixed as Leo might have let on.**

Aphrodite and Thalia tensed.

"It'll be okay," Leo said before muttering. " _Geez._  You guys gotta learn to trust me more on these things."

**...Hey, they were under the time limit!**

"Still pretty risky." Katie pointed out.

"Don't have much of a choice." Nyssa sighed. "They have three days to save Hera."

"Three days." Chris muttered in disbelief.  _Is that even possible? They don't even know where she is._

**Three days until the solstice. They had to get going. Besides, Leo had cleaned the disk pretty well. Most of the circuits were still good. It would just have to hold together.**

**His bad side started to think, _Yeah, but what if-_**

**"Shut up, me," Leo said aloud.**

**"What?" Piper asked.**

**"Nothing," he said. "Long night. I think I'm hallucinating. It's cool."**

"If you're hallucinating then you shouldn't be flying the dragon." Thalia grrimaced, trying not to envision the dragon spiraling down to the ground.

"I was just joking." Leo assured her. 

**..."Just joking."**

"See?" Leo said, secretly hoping the next sentence wouldn't contradict him again. He spliced a couple wires together.

 **Leo decided it might be good to change the subject. "So what's the plan, bro? You said something about catching wind, or breaking wind,** **or something."**

Hermes nodded his head in approval. "Nice. You should just forget lying and stick to changing subjects."

**...Jason laid out the game plan: First, find some guy named Boreas and grill him for information-**

"Hopefully it won't be too difficult. Annabeth said.

**"His name is _Boreas_?" Leo had to ask.**

**"What is he, the God of Boring?"**

Apollo, Hermes, and the Stolls laughed.

Athena pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Please don't actually say that to him." the goddess said with a sigh.

**Second, Jason continued, they had to find those venti that had attacked them at the Grand Canyon.-**

Leo purposely avoided Percy's expectant look. He kept his eyes fixated on his wires and battery packs.

The son of Poseidon scowled, but didn't say anything. 

**"Can we just call them storm spirits?" Leo asked. "Venti makes them sound like evil espresso drinks."**

"I know right?" Apollo chuckled as Artemis rolled her eyes.

**And third, Jason finished, they had to find out who the storm spirits worked for, so they could find Hera and free.**

**"So, you want to look for Dylan, the nasty storm dude, _on purpose_ ," Leo said. "The guy who threw me off the skywalk and sucked Coach Hedge into the clouds."**

Clarisse turned to Leo. "When you find this 'Mistress', you better make her pay for what she did to Coach Hedge."

"No problem." he said, smiling as he thought about her destroyed mall.

 _..._ **"Uh-huh," Leo said. "But you don't know where this place is."**

**"Nope." Jason admitted.**

"Great." Chris said sarcastically.

Annabeth shrugged. "Maybe Boreas will point them in the right direction."  _I mean, the gods have to have some kind of clue on where the Wolf House is._

**"There's also giants." Piper added. "The prophecy said _the giants' revenge_."**

**"Hold on," Leo said. "Giants- like more than one? Why can't it just be one giant who wants revenge?"**

"Because then our life would be easier." Percy grumbled.

**"I don't think so," Piper said. "I remember in some of the old Greek stories, there was something about an army of giants."**

The readers paled at the thought.

**...[Piper]"The giants- well, there were lots of giants in Greek mythology. But if I'm thinking of the right ones, they were bad news. Huge, almost impossible to kill.**

"And we're supposed to fight these...  _things_ by ourselves?" Lacy squeaked.

"When she said 'huge', how exactly big is that? Are they  _Jack and the Beanstalk_ giant size or Giant Panda size?" Connor joked nervously. "Just asking for a friend."

"Hopefully, you'll never find out that answer." Athena said gravely. 

"Even more impossible then defeating a Titan?" Percy whispered to Annabeth.

Annabeth nodded.

"It's impossible for a demigod to defeat a giant unless they have the help of a god." Annabeth muttered quietly. "But since the gods have gone silent..."

"We're doomed." Percy finished with a grimace.  _Why are they never there when we need them?_

**...Leo whistled. "So... giants who can throw mountains. Friendly wolves that will eat us if we show weakness. Evil espresso drinks. Gotcha. Maybe this isn't the time to bring up my psycho babysitter."**

"That one was pretty good. Granted, you weren't trying to trick anyone at the time, still, that was a nice change of topic." Hermes happily told Leo. "Just keep practicing and you'll be able to get yourself out of even the most toughest conversations."

"I'll keep that in mind." he responded, looking over his notes.

**"Is that another joke?" Piper asked.**

_I wish._ Leo thought, keeping his eyes on the paper. 

**Leo told them about Tia Callida, who was really Hera, and how she'd appeared to him at camp. He didn't tell them about his fire abilities. That was still a touchy subject, especially after Nyssa told him fire demigods tended to destroy cities and stuff.**

Nyssa frowned. "Sorry, Leo."

Her brother shrugged it off. "It's fine. Even if you hadn't told me, I still would've kept it from them."

**..."That's... disturbing," Piper said.**

"That's my life!" Leo said with forced cheerfulness.

"Please don't joke about that." Hephaestus told him.

**"'Bout sums it up," Leo agreed. "Thing is, everybody says don't trust Hera. She hates demigods. And the prophecy said we'd cause death if we unleash her rage. So I'm wondering... why are we doing this?"**

"So what are you suggesting?" Hera sneered at the boy. "That you should leave me to  _die_?"

"Of course not!" Leo responded in mock innocence. He placed a hand over his heart. "I would never leave my  _tía_ in a horrible place like that! ...Well... Technically you're  _abuela_ , so, should I call you that from now on? Or do you prefer something in the middle like  _tía abuela_?"

The goddess just rolled her eyes as Demeter kept reading.

 **...He just wished that if there were four more demigods destined to help them, they'd show up quick. Leo didn't want to hog all the terrifying life-threatening adventures.**   

"I'm sure they're eager to have some." Percy said sarcastically.

**"Besides," Jason continued, "helping Hera is the only way I can get back my memory.**

Thalia scowled.

**And the dark spire in my dream seemed to be feeding on Hera's energy. If that thing unleashes a king of the giants by destroying Hera-"**

**"Not a good trade-off," Piper agreed. "At least Hera is on our side- mostly. Losing her would throw the gods into chaos. She's the main one who keeps peace in the family. And a war with the giants could be even more destructive than the Titan War."**

"Exactly." Hera said. She looked a little too pleased with the fact that they had no choice but to rescue her.

"Your friends are reasonable people." she told Leo. "You should listen to them more often."

**...[Jason] "Chiron also talked about worse forces stirring on the solstice, with in being a good time for dark magic, and all- something that could awaken if Hera were sacrificed on that day. And this mistress who's controlling the storm spirits, the one who wants to kill all the demigods-"**

**"Might be that weird sleeping lady," Leo finished.**

"It would make sense. They do seem connected somehow." Athena said.

**"Dirt Woman fully awake? Not something I want to see."**

_It's not something anybody wants to see._ Annabeth thought with a shudder.

**...He'd never told anyone about that night at the warehouse. Even if he hadn't give them the whole story, it still felt strange, like he'd opened up his chest and taken out all the gears that made him tick.**

_At least I told them willingly._ Leo thought with a bitter smile. He'd rather tell Piper and Jason about that night at the warehouse a hundred times than continue reading this book.

 _**...The forge and dove shall creak the cage.** _ **Wasn't that the prophecy line? That meant Piper and he would have to figure out how to break into that magic rock prison... Then they'd unleash Hera's rage, causing a lot of death. Well, that sounded fun! Leo had seen Tia Callida in action; she liked knives, snakes, and pitting babies in roaring fires.**

Hestia frowned at the last part.

The goddess of marriage just looked annoyed. 

"What makes you think that the ones who are dying are innocent people?" she argued. "How about, instead of me causing deaths to innocents, it could mean the same monsters who kidnapped me and are holding me against my will."

Hestia brightened up at that.

"I think you're right!" she agreed.

"I know myself will enough to know my actions." the goddess smiled.

"I'm still wondering if it's worth the risk." Annabeth said, earning a glare from Hera.

**"Why don't you get some sleep?" Piper said in his ear. "You were up all night."**

"Good idea." Thaila mumbled, plucking her bow's string.

**Leo wanted to protest, but the word _sleep_ sounded really good. "You won't let me fall off?"**

**Piper patted his shoulder. "Trust me, Valdez. Beautiful people never lie."**

Drew snorted.  _Okay, but he's not trusting about beautiful person, he's trusting you."_

**"Right," he muttered. He leaned forward against the warm bronze of the dragon's neck, and closed his eyes.**

"Finished." Demeter said, tossing the book on Hades' lap, startling the god.

"I don't see  _you_ doing anything important, so why don't  _you_ read,  ** _Hades_** _._ "

"I don't want to read." Hades said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, too bad! Sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do. Like how  _I_ have to help Persephone pack every last day of summer before she goes to the Under-"

"Alright, I'll read." Hades groaned, picking up the book.

" **Leo XVIII** ," he began with a sigh.

 _Great, the god of the Dead is reading my thoughts. Never thought that'd happen_. Leo thought. It would've been funny if it wasn't his point of view.


	19. Leo XVIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!
> 
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.

" **Leo XVIII** ," Hades muttered.

"Hades, if you're going to read, you need to read louder." Zeus told him with mild annoyance.

"Sounds fine to me!" Leo smiled.

Hades rolled his eyes and, much to Leo's disappointment, read louder.

**It Seemed Like Only For Seconds, but when Piper shook him awake, the daylight was fading.**

"I hate it when that happens." Percy said, a few demigods nodded their heads in agreement.

"Still, it's better than a dream." Will said.

**"We're here," she said.**

**Leo rubbed the sleep out of his eyes...Buildings crowded together inside the high walls like medieval town, way older than any place Leo had seen before.**

Eager to hear the details in architecture, Annabeth leaned forward and listened closely.

Leo searched through his tool belt.

**In the center was an actual castle- at least Leo assumed it was a castle- with massive red brick walls and a square tower with a peaked, green gabled roof.**

Athena smiled at the thoughtful look on her daughter's face.

**..."Yeah, Quebec City," Piper confirmed. "One of the oldest cities in North America. Founded around sixteen hundred or so?"**

"In 1763." Annabeth corrected.

**Leo raised an eyebrow. "Your dad do a movie about that too?"**

**She made a face at him, which Leo was used to, but it didn't quite work with her glamorous makeup. "I _read_ sometimes, okay? Just because Aphrodite claimed me, doesn't mean I have to be an airhead."**

"I don't have stupid kids." Aphrodite huffed, while some of her children looked offended.

 **"Feisty!" Leo said.** **"So you know so much, what's that castle?"**

"It's not a castle." Annabeth said after thinking. "It's a hotel. Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, I think. Right?" *

"You're right." her mother confirmed.

"What's a god doing in a hotel? Shouldn't he have his own little kingdom in the sky or something?" Travis asked Leo.

He shrugged. "I dunno. What's a bunch of gods doing in the Empire State Building?"

**..."Heads up, guys," Jason interrupted. "We got company!"**

**Leo looked below and saw what Jason meant. Raising from the top of the tower were two winged figures- angry angels, with nasty looking swords.**

Judging by the annoyed look on Hera and Hermes' faces, the two gods had also met the Boreads.

 _Ugh! I was hoping they wouldn't run into those guys._ Hermes inwardly groaned.

Chris frowned. "Are they more storm spirits?"

"I don't think so..." Katie said.

**Festus didn't like the angel guys...He was getting ready to breathe fire.**

Hermes couldn't blame him.

Sparks flew from Leo's direction.

**At first Leo thought he was right, but as the angels got closer, he could see they were much more solid than a venti...**

**One was the size of an ox, with a bright red hockey jersey...The guy clearly had been too many fights, because both his eyes were black, and when he bared his teeth, several of them were missing.**

**The other guy looked like he'd just stepped off one of Leo's mom's 1980s rock album covers- ...He wore pointy-toed leather shoes, designer pants that were way too tight, and a god-awful silk shirt with the top three buttons open.**

Aphrodite's face was turning green. She clutched her queasy stomach.

"No more descriptions,  _please!_ " the goddess pleaded.

Her children looked equally disgusted.

**Maybe he thought he looked like a groovy love god, but the guy couldn't have weighed more than ninety pounds, and he had a bad case of acne.**

  The goddess of love squeezed her stomach tighter and shuddered.  _This is going to give me nightmares._

**...The hockey ox grunted. "No clearance."**

**"'Scuse me?" Leo said.**

**"You have no flight plan on file." explained the groove love god. On top of his other problems, he had a French accent so bad Leo was sure it was fake.**

_I guess he didn't take my advice after all._ Hermes rolled his eyes.

"Even worse!" Aphrodite cried, looking horrified.

**...The dragon began to hiss steam, but Leo cried, "Hold on! Let's have manners here, boys. Can I at least find out who has the honor of destroying me?"**

**"I am Cal!" The ox grunted.**

Hermes looked impressed. "Wow! He remembered his name this time."

**..."That's short for Calais," the love god said. "Sadly, my brother cannot say words with more than two syllables-"**

**"Pizza! Hockey! Destroy!" Cal offered.**

"That's half of his vocabulary." Hermes commented.

"I guess that's what happens when you take too many blows to the head." Will frowned.

**..."I am Cal." Cal repeated. "And this is Zethes! My brother!"**

**"Wow," Leo said. "That was almost three sentences, man! Way to go."**

Apollo, Hermes, and The Stolls laughed.

"I don't think it's a good idea to make him angry." Nico pointed out.

"We'll be fine." Leo assured him. He cut long pieces of duck tape.

**Cal grunted, obviously pleased with himself.**

"Idiot." Clarisse murmured as Nico slapped his forehead.

 **"Stupid buffoon," his brother grumbled. "They make fun of you. But no matter. I am Zethes, which is short for Zethes.**  

"I guess Cal isn't the only dumb one!" Connor snickered. 

**And the lady there-" he winked at Piper, but the wink was more like a facial seizure. "She can call me anything she likes.**

" _Ew!_ " Aphrodite shuddered again.

**Perhaps she would like to have dinner with a famous demigod before we must destroy you?"**

"Not now, not ever!" Aphrodite swore with a look of disgust on her face.

 _Actually he might be the perfect boyfriend for the Dumpster Queen._ Drew giggled.

Hades sighed.

"Do I  _have_ to read this?" he asked nobody in particular.

"What's wrong?" Demeter asked with mock concern. "Too many big words?"

Hades scowled at her before continuing to read.

**Piper made a sound like a sound like gagging on a cough drop. "That's... a truly horrifying offer."**

"That's the stuff made of nightmares." Lacy agreed.

**..."Boreas?" Jason cut in. "Do you mean, like, the sons of Boreas?"**

Aphrodite couldn't help but feel grateful to Jason for changing the subject.

**"Ah, so you've heard of us!" Zethes looked pleased. "We are our father's gatekeepers. So you understand, we cannot have unauthorized people flying in his airspace on creaking dragons, scaring the silly mortal peoples."**

"I'm sure Rachel would just love being called a 'silly mortal' by a guy like Zethes." Percy muttered to Nico.

Nico gave him a small smile. "She'd probably hit him in the eye with a hair brush."

The two boys chuckled.

**..."Which is sadly why, unless this is an emergency landing," Zethes said, brushing his hair out of his acne-covered face, "we will have to destroy you painfully."**

**"Destroy!" Cal agreed, with a little more enthusiasm than Leo thought necessary.**

_Coach Hedge and Cal would get along great together._ Leo thought.

"He needs a hobby-besides hockey. Something more peaceful and less destructive..." Apollo smiled and snapped his fingers. "He should take piano lessons!"

"I don't think he's got the qualities to be a pianist." Athena pointed out. "Or any musician really."

**"Wait!" Piper said. "This _is_ an emergency landing."**

**"Awww!" Cal looked so disappointed, Leo almost felt sorry for him.**

  Everyone sent Leo odd looks.

"You realize he was trying to kill you, right?" Will asked. **  
**

"I know, but he just sounded...  _so sad_ , ya'know?" the son of Hephaestus said, not looking up from his work.

"You choose the weirdest things to sympathize over." Nyssa told him. She looked over at the mess at his feet. Tools, stray wires, forced open battery packs, and more were strewn all over his side of the room.

"What are you doing to your  _shoe_?" she could help but ask. 

The shoe was splayed open from in between the midsole and outersole, just barely held together by the layers of duck tape Leo was wrapping around it.

Leo froze in middle of taping.

"Nothing. I get bored easily. You know me..." he said with a nervous smile.

Mitchell looked over a made a face.

"Should it even be considered a shoe anymore? How are you going to come back to walk around with  _those_ on your feet?" he asked.

For some reason, Leo looked excited. 

"I dunno, I guess we'll have to find out later!" he said cheerfully. He continued taping his shoe.

**Zethes studied Piper, which of course he'd already been doing.**

Aphrodite gagged.  _I think I'm going to be sick._

**..."We have to see Boreas. It's totally urgent! Please?" She forced a smile, which Leo figured must've been killing her,**

Aphrodite and her children (except Drew) gave the book a pitying look, as if it were Piper herself.

**...Zethes picked up his silk shirt, probably making sure it was still open wide enough.**

"I didn't need to know that." the goddess of love shuddered.

**"Well... I hate to disappoint a lovely lady, but you see, my sister, she would have an avalanche if we allowed you-"**

Leo momentarily scowled at the mention of Khione.  _That reminds me, I still owe her a monkey wrench to the face for rocket launching me to Calypso's island._

**"And our dragon is malfunctioning!" Piper added. "It could crash any minute!"**

**Festus shuddered helpfully, then turned his head and spilled gunk out of his ear, splattering a black Mercedes in the parking lot below.**

Thalia, Nyssa, and Jake frowned at that.

"He's a great actor!" Leo told them.

**Zethes pondered the problem. Then he gave Piper another spasmodic wink.**

" _Stop._ " Aphrodite breathed. She hugged herself and shivered.  _That ship will never be a thing._

**...Leo turned to his friends. "I love these guys.**

"I hope you're being sarcastic." Aphrodite said, hugging herself tighter.

**...As they got closer, Leo worried they'd crash into the tower. The Boreads made right for the green gabled peak and didn't slow down. Then a section of the slanted roof slid open, revealing an entrance easily wide enough for Festus.**

_Maybe I should add an entrance like that when I'm rebuilding Olympus._ Annabeth thought, taking mental notes.

**...Festus shuddered and snorted flames. Frost started to form on his scales.**

**"No, no, no." Zethes marched over, though how he would walk in those pointy leather shoes, Leo had no idea.**

"Are you really the one to talk?" Mitchell asked. 

Leo shrugged. "Probably not."

**"The dragon must be deactivated. We can't have fire in here. The heat ruins my hair."**

"Trust me, it can't get any worse." Aphrodite said.

**Festus growled and spun his drill-bit teeth.**

**"S'okay boy," Leo turned to Zethes. "The dragon's a little touchy about the whole _deactivation_ concept. But I've got a better solution."**

"You could have him wait outside." Katie suggested.

"Nah, I had a better idea. Check this out." Leo smiled.

**...Leo hooked his fingers behind the dragon's left foreleg. He pulled a switch, and the dragon shuddered from head to toe. Everyone backed away as Festus folded like origami. His bronze plating stacked together. His neck and tail contracted into his body. His wings collapsed and his trunk compacted until he was a rectangular metal wedge the size of suitcase.**

"The dragon can turn into a suitcase?" Nyssa said, dumbfounded.

"Yup! I call it the  _Incognito_ button! He could do a bunch of other cool things too." Leo proudly replied.

**Leo tried to lift it, but the thing weighed about six billion pounds.**

"No wheels. Guess you gotta leave it." Will sighed.

"Wait for it..."

**He pushed another button. A handle flipped up on the top, and wheels clicked out on the bottom.**

**"Ta-dah!" he announced. "The world's heaviest carry-on bag!"**

The readers looked dumbfounded.

"Pretty cool, right? He's perfect for traveling on the go!" Leo bragged.

"Whoever made Festus had  _way_ too much free time on their hands." Chris said. 

A few of the others nodded in agreement.

**"Stop!" Zethes ordered. He and Cal both drew their swords and glared at Leo.**

"What's their problem now?" Connor asked. "They have a thing against carry-on luggage?"

"I don't think that's it." Hephaestus said, having a feeling on what the real issue was.

**..."Who are you?" Zethes shoved the point of his sword against Leo's chest. "A child of the South Wind, spying on us?"**

"Why would they even think that? He literally hasn't even done anything yet." Will said.

**"What? No!" Leo said. "Son of Hephaestus. Friendly blacksmith, no harm to anyone!"**

**Cal growled.**

**He put his face up to Leo's, and definitely wasn't pretty at point-blank, with his bruised lip and bashed-in mouth.**

_Thank goodness this is just a book and not some first-person video._ Aphrodite grimaced.

**"Smell fire," he said. "Fire is bad."**

Leo frowned.

 _Well, they do live in a ice penthouse._ he reminded himself. He put down his thoroughly tapped up shoe and picked up the other.

"How do they know that's coming from him? Could've been the dragon." Percy argued.

**"No!" Zethes pushed Leo back at sword point. "We can _smell_ fire, demigod.**

"Is that like how you can smell monsters?" Percy asked Grover.

"I guess." the satyr said. "Sounds similar."

**...Jason already had his gold coin in his hand. He stepped forward, his eyes on Zethes. "Look, there's been a mistake. Leo isn't a fire guy. Tell them, Leo. Tell them you're not a fire guy."**

**"Um..."**

"You'll have to tell them eventually." Annabeth sighed.

"I know." 

With a Swiss Army knife, Leo hacked open the sole of the shoe.

**"Zethes?" Piper tried her dazzling smile again, through she looked a little too nervous and cold to pull it off.**

"If I were on the quest, I would've done it perfectly." Drew grumbled.

 **..."The girl is pretty," Zethes admitted. "and of course she cannot help being attracted to my amazingness;** **but sadly, I cannot romance her at this time."**

Aphrodite made a face at that.  _Yeah, keep dreaming._

**..."Destroy him now?" Cal asked his brother.**

**Zethes nodded. "Sadly, I think-"**

**"No," Jason insisted. He sounded calm enough, but Leo figured he was about two seconds away from flipping that coin and going into full gladiator mode.**

"Gladiator..." Percy repeated, purposely being loud. "How ironic."

The other demigods looked at him funny.

"Um... What are you talking about?" Connor asked.

The son of Poseidon looked over at Leo as if waiting for him to respond. When he didn't say anything, Percy sighed. 

"Nothing."

The gods exchanged unreadable looks.

**"Leo's just a son of Hephaestus. He's not threat. Piper here is the daughter of Aphrodite. I'm the son of Zeus. We're on a peaceful..."**

**..."What did you say?" Zethes demanded. "You are the son of Zeus?"**

Thalia stiffened.

"Do they have some kind of grudge against children of Zeus?"  _Or Jupiter... Whatever._ Thalia asked.

"Not that I'm aware of." Hermes said.

**"Um... yeah," Jason said. "That's a good thing, right? My name is Jason."**

**...Zethes stepped forward and squinted at Jason's face. "No, he is not _our_ Jason. Our Jason was more stylish. ** **Not as much as me, but stylish.**

 _How did Jason put up with these idiots?_ Hera silently asked herself.

**Besides, our Jason died a millennia ago."**

"Our Jason?" Thalia repeated.

"Probably talking about the original Jason." Annabeth clarified.  _But how do they know him?_

 **..."Of course," Zethes said.** **"We were his crewmates aboard his ship, the _Argo_ , in the old times, when we were mortal demigods. Then we accepted immortality and to serve our father,**  **so I could look this good for all time, and my silly brother could enjoy pizza and hockey."**

Percy was hit with a sudden case of déjà vu.

_If I had accepted immortality, would I have ended up being like Zethes and Cal?!_

A shiver ran down Percy's spine at the disturbing thought and mental images that came along with it.

"Huh? What was that for?" Annabeth asked after her boyfriend gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"For saving me from making a horrible mistake." Percy solemnly replied.

She gave him a questioning look, but didn't say anything else.

**"So, destroy?" Cal asked. Clearly the conservation was giving his two brain cells a serious workout.**

"He needs all the exercise he can get." Hera said.

**"No," Zethes said regretfully. "If he is a son of Zeus, he could be the one we've been watching for."**

"They've been waiting for him?" Will frowned.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Travis asked.

**A girl's voice said, "That depends on my father's will."**

**Leo looked up at the staircase. His heart nearly stopped. At the top stood a girl in a white dress. Her skin was unnaturally pale, the color of snow, but her hair was a lush mane of black, and her eyes were coffee brown. She focused on Leo with no expression, no smile, no friendless. But it didn't matter. Leo was in love.**

**She was the most dazzling girl he'd ever seen.**

Aphrodite and Hephaestus exchanged grimaces.

 _So basically, I had a crush on a mannequin._ Leo thought, rolling his eyes.  _Seriously? Why did I think this girl was hot? Calypso is way hotter. She doesn't even try to look pretty. She's a natural... natural..._

His thoughts ground to a halt. He slowly stopped everything he was doing like he was running out of fuel.

 _Not that it matters how pretty Calypso looks!_ Leo quickly told himself before he could think too much about it. _Why would I even think about her anyway? I'm not in love with an immortal! Who said I loved her? Not me!_

"Leo?" Aphrodite said with a thin smile, breaking Leo's train of thought ( _Oh thank gods!_ ) "Are you sure you like that girl? Because..."

"She sounds like she's out of my league?" he guessed.

"I was going to say because she sounds like bad news."  _but that too._ Aphrodite silently added. She never actually met Khione personally, but there was something that description that made her uneasy. **

"It's okay, I'm not interested in her anymore." Leo told her.

"Oh good!" Aphrodite said happily. 

Hephaestus silently sighed in relief.

**"Father will want to see the one called Jason," the girl said.**

**"Then it _is_ him?" Zethes asked excitedly.**

**"We'll see," the girl said. "Zethes, bring our guests."**

**...Before he could take a step, she froze him with a look. Not _literally_ froze, but she might as well have.**

**"Not you, Leo Valdez," she said.**

"How does she know your name?" Nico asked.

Leo frowned as if the thought just occurred to him. "I don't know."

**...The girl tilted her head, like she wasn't used to people refusing her orders. "He will not be harmed, Jason Grace, unless you make trouble. Calais, keep Leo Valdez here. Guard him, but do not kill him."**

"That sucks." Will said.

Leo shrugged. "It wasn't that bad. All we did was talk about pizza, hockey, destroying things, and avoiding getting destroyed. Ya'know, the usual."

"Riveting." Athena said sarcastically.

**Cal pouted. "Just a little?"**

**"No," the girl insisted. "And take care of his interesting suitcase, until Father passes judgment."**

"Judgment?" Annabeth muttered.

**...Part of him wanted to go for it, bust out his new tool belt and see what he could do, maybe even summon a fireball or two and warm this place up.**

"Not a good idea." Athena warned. "You still need information from Boreas."

**But the Boread guys scared him. And that gorgeous girl scared him more, even if he still wanted her number.**

**"It's fine, guys," he said. "No sense causing trouble if we don't have to. You go ahead."**

**"Listen to your friend," the pale girl said. "Leo Valdez will be perfectly safe. I wish I could say the same for you, son of Zeus. Now come, King Boreas is waiting."**

"Done," Hades said. "Does anybody want to read next?"

Hera nudged Zeus. The god sighed.

"I will." he said taking the book.

 **Jason XIX** ," he read.

Leo's head snapped up.

 _Jason already?!_ he thought, his face paling.  _But I haven't finished..._

Leo looked at the mess in his lap and groaned.

 _Just finish. Just finish. Just finish._ he chanted in his mind as he scrambled to put parts together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *~ I never been to Canada before, so I did a little research to see if this hotel is real (the book never gave the name, so I wasn't so sure). Turns out Boreas lives in the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac and you could see the hotel in Leo's point of view on their main website or look it up on google.
> 
> **~ There is hardly ever snow in Greece, so I doubt Khione was ever seen by the gods during Ancient Greek times and Khione doesn't strike me as much of a social person anyway.


	20. Jason XIX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!
> 
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.

**Jason XIX** ," Zeus read, with a sigh.

The god slightly slumped in his throne.

Leo wiped the sweat off his forehead.

 _Okay, Jay. I know this is a lot to ask, but please don't act like a Roman!  _he silently pleaded as if the son of Jupiter could hear him.  _It sounds pretty bad, but just trust me._  

**Jason didn't want to leave Leo, but he was starting to think that hanging out with Cal the hockey jock might be the _least_ dangerous option in this place.**

Thalia didn't like the sound of that.

**...Then there was the ice princess. Every once in a while she'd turn and give Jason a smile, but there was no warmth in her expression. She regarded Jason like he was an especially interesting science specimen- one she couldn't wait to dissect.**

Leo shuddered as he continued working.

 _Great. Another Drew who just can't keep her hands off my brother._ Thalia scowled.

**If these were Boreas' kids, Jason wasn't sure he wanted to meet Daddy.**

"He can't be that bad." Annabeth said. "He's helped demigods on quests before."

"Helpful doesn't mean he can't be crazy or want something in exchange." Chris pointed out.

"Maybe he's changed." Nico told Annabeth. "Didn't they say he's not accepting visitors anymore?"

"It could be because of Olympus closing." she frowned.

**Annabeth had told him Boreas was the friendliest of the wind gods. Apparently that meant he didn't kill heroes quite as fast as the others did.**

_I hope that's not what my future self meant._ Annabeth thought. 

**Jason worried that he'd led his friends into a trap. If things went bad, he wasn't sure he could get them out alive. Without thinking about it, he took Piper's hand for reassurance.**

Aphrodite cooed. "Aw! At least something good came out of this!"

**"It'll be fine," she promised. "Just a talk, right?"**

"Hopefully..." Percy said.

**At the top of the stairs, the ice princess looked back and noticed them holding hands. Her smile faded. Suddenly Jason's hand in Piper's turned ice cold- _burning_ cold. He let go, and his fingers were smoking with frost. So were Piper's.**

"Sounds like someone's  _jeal-ous!_ " Travis said in a sing-song voice.  

" _Seriously?_ Way to ruin the moment!" the goddess of love scowled. "Who even  _does_ that?"

Zeus resisted the urge to look over at his wife.

 _Don't you do worse?_ Percy thought, but wisely didn't say out loud.

**"Warmth is not a good idea here," the princess advised,**

" _Yeah._  I'm sure that's the reason." Aphrodite rolled her eyes.

**"especially when _I_ am your best chance of staying alive. Please, this way."**

**...Thalia's picture was still in his pocket, though he didn't need to look at it anymore. Her image burned itself into her mind. It was bad enough not remembering his past, but to know he had a sister out there somewhere who might have answers and to have no way of finding her- that just drove him up the wall.**

Thalia smiled sadly in understanding.  _Maybe I should wait at Camp for him. I don't think the others would mind._

**Still, Thalia looked _so_ familiar. Hera had left him just enough memory that he could be certain. Thalia was his sister. But Annabeth had acted completely surprised when he'd told her, like she'd never heard of Thalia's having a brother. Did Thalia even know about him? How had they been separated?**

Thalia's shoulders slumped. 

 _He's going to have to know the truth eventually._ she told herself. She just wished she wouldn't have to be the one to tell him.

 **Hera had taken those memories. She'd stolen everything from Jason's past, plopped him into a new life, and now she expected him to save her from some prison just so he could get back what she'd taken. It made Jason so angry, he wanted to walk away, let Hera rot in that cage:** **but he couldn't. He was hooked.**

"Can't say I blame him." Annabeth said.

"It would make things easier." Thalia agreed, sending a glare.

Hera gritted her teeth.

**He had to know more, and that made him even more resentful.**

"There are a lot of things we have to do that we don't want to do." Hera pointed out.

**"Hey." Piper touched his arm. "You still with me?"**

Aphrodite smiled.

**"Yeah... yeah, sorry."**

**He was grateful for Piper. He needed a friend, and he was glad she'd started losing the Aphrodite blessing...** **It made her look more real, and as far as Jason was concerned, more beautiful.**

 _"Aaaw!"_ the goddess of love cooed.

Drew made a face.  _Ew! Dumpster Queen? Talk about bad taste!_

**He was sure now that they'd never known each other before the Grand Canyon...But the longer he spent with her, the more he wished it had been real.**

"Sounds like he needs a pair of glasses..." Drew muttered, studying her nails.

**_Stop that,_ he told himself. It wasn't fair to Piper, thinking that way. Jason had no idea what was waiting for him back in his old life- or  _who_ might be waiting. But he was pretty sure he was pretty sure his past wouldn't mix with Camp Half-Blood.**

Athena hummed in agreement.

"He needs to stop thinking like that." Chris said with a sigh.

"Maybe he can't." Percy said, oh-so-casually. "Maybe it's, like, programmed in his head to be uneasy around us."

Leo tensed. 

Clarisse snorted. "So you think he sees us as his enemies?"

"It would make sense, right?" he rested his chin in his hand. "I mean, you heard his reaction to the Big House and he keeps saying things like 'I don't belong here' or 'We shouldn't be friends.' This sounds deeper than a demigod who's having a hard time accepting things."

"But why?" Will tilted his head. 

Percy stared at the son of Hephaestus. "Ask Leo. He might know."

Everyone turned their attention to Leo.

The gods looked at him as if he was a ticking time bomb while the demigods looked expectant for answers.

"Um... I don't know. I'm from the future, I'm not all knowing." he laughed awkwardly. "Maybe the answer's in the next paragraph?" 

Silence.

A few demigods, including Percy, looked disappointed as Zeus continued reading.

**...The princess turned. Her brown eyes glittered, and Jason felt like he was a Christmas present she was hoping to open.**

 "Anybody else getting Zethes vibes from this lady?" Connor asked.

"Yeah, kinda..." Aphrodite shuddered.

**"This is the throne room," she said. "Be on your best behavior, Jason Grace. My father can be... chilly. I will translate for you, and try to encourage him to hear you out. I do hope he spares you. We could have such fun."**

"Something tells me, her definition of fun is different than ours." Travis said.

**..."Um, okay." he managed. "But really, we're just here for a little talk. We'll be leaving right afterward."**

**The girl smiled. "I love heroes. So blissfully ignorant."**

The demigods frowned at that.

"And  _this_ is the person who's their best chance in survival?" Annabeth muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Thalia asked no one in particular.

**Piper rested her hand on her dagger. "Well, how about you enlighten us? You say you're going to translate for us, and we don't even know who you are. What's your name?"**

A couple of demigods turned to Annabeth.

She shrugged.

"I don't know. There aren't a lot of myths on Boreas's children. Could be a goddess of winter or snow?"

 **The girl sniffed with distaste. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you don't recognize me. Even in ancient times the Greeks did not know me well. Their island homes were too far from my domain.** **I am Khione, daughter of Boreas, goddess of snow."**

Annabeth hid a smile.  _I knew it._

**"Now come," Khione said. The oaken doors blew open, and cold blue light spilled out of the room. "Hopefully you will survive your little talk."**

"Finished." Zeus said, glad the chapter was short.

Leo's head snapped up in surprise.

 _No! I'm almost done! I just need more time!_ he grabbed a fistful of his hair.

"I'll read next," Mitchell said. He got up and took the book from the god's hands. 

Leo watched him make his way back to his spot.

" **Jason XX** ," Mitchell read out loud.

The son of Hephaestus hesitated before hastily adding the final adjustments.  _Forget it! It's only a matter of time before they figure things out._ He slapped tape on the open shoe.  _Percy, Thalia, and Annabeth can handle this alone, I'm outta here._

Leo forced his foot in the shoe and clumsily tied his shoelace together. He silently prayed to any god willing to listen that his invention would work.


	21. Jason XX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!
> 
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.

" **Jason XX** ," Mitchell read out loud.

" **If The Entry Hall Had Been Cold, the throne was-** Huh?" Mitchell blinked as a blur raced past him. He tightened his grip on the book, the pages flipped through the burst of sudden wind. Eyes widened in confusion and shock as the flash of color sped around the room. 

"Um... Could someone tell me what's going on?" Travis asked. He yelped and pulled back before the blur could crash into him.

His question was answered after the blur stopped with a loud screech, revealing the speedster to be Leo Valdez. 

The boy looked dizzy as he stumbled to and fro, but he still managed to have a stupid smile on his face.

 _"Holy Hephaestus!"_ Leo gasped, his face was turning greenish but his eyes were bright with excitement. "It actually  _worked."_

Athena rubbed her temples. 

" _What now?_ " she growled in a Zeus-like tone. "Can't we just read this book without any interruptions?"

"You can have all the peace and quiet you want! I'm outta here!" Leo reached into his tool belt and pulled out a stopwatch. He began to hastily punch buttons.

"You're trying to leave again?" Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Where are you going? To the park and feed the ducks?"

"Ha. Ha. Ha.  _No._ I'm going back to my own time period. And thanks to these bad larrys," he looked down at his haphazard shoes with a wide smile. "I don't have to ask for any godly intervention. With the power of technology, I was able to modify my shoes to go as fast as the  _freaking speed of light_."

He punched in the last couple of buttons. "So if I can run around for about eight minutes-"

"You can go into the future..." Jake completed, looking interested at the prospect.

"Exactly!" Leo exclaimed, sounding more giddy by the second. He quickly put out a small flame that ignited on the tip of his nose. He ignored the disappointed and angry looks from Annabeth, Percy, and Thalia. "Anyways, it's been real, but I gotta go!  _See ya'!_ "

With a triumphant laugh, the son of Hephaestus started his stopwatch and took off. He couldn't  make out what the random blobs of color were as he ran towards the exit, but he could hear shouting and numerous feet stomping behind him. 

 _Pffft! Let them try to catch me! I'm the fastest boy alive!_ Leo bragged. He ignored his lurching stomach as he picked up the pace. He checked the stopwatch and grinned.  _I'll be on the ship in no-time._

So, of course, everything goes wrong.

There was a loud  _'Dzzz'_ sound coming from one of his shoes. Leo grimaced and looked down. 

 _"Oh come on!"_ he complained, seeing grey smoke and sparks of electricity coming out from his shoe. 

 _The wires popped! This is what I get for rushing at the last second..._ Leo gritted his teeth. He felt himself slow down and pushed himself to move faster. Suddenly his foot caught on something and he fell over.

 _"Oof!"_ He face planted on the ground. Holding his throbbing head, he looked over to see what he tripped on, he groaned when he saw his leg draped over Clovis's body (still sleeping of course).

"You gotta be kidding me..." he muttered. He noticed the unimpressed looks of the others.

"Um..." Leo picked himself up. He didn't meet their eyes as he brushed himself off. "... I'll just go sit back down now..."

"That would be a wise." Hera rolled her eyes.

As the others sat back down, Katie and the Stolls rushed over to him.

" _Dude!_ That was awesome!" Travis exclaimed. "Can you make more shoes like that? We could totally use those for-"

"That was the most stupidest thing I ever seen!" Katie snapped, pushing the son of Hermes aside. She put her hand on her hip and wagged her finger in Leo's face. "What were you  _thinking_?  You could have ran into a wall and got a concussion! Or the wires in your shoes could have caused an explosion! Or you could have ran too far into the future! What would have happened if your 'time-traveling' shoes broke down in the year 2066? Then what you have done?  Nothing! Because you didn't think that far! And-"

"Okay! Okay! I get it! I won't do it again!" Leo cut off, raising his hands in surrender. He muttered under his breath. " _Geez!_ You sound like your mother."

She narrowed her eyes. "What was that?"

"Nothing! Hey, why don't we just sit down?" He quickly suggested.  _Maybe this chapter won't be that bad. Maybe everything will turn out alright._

The two walked away.

Meanwhile, Travis struggled to digest the fact that Katie Gardener had brushed him off in favor of yelling at Leo. Not him.  _Leo Valdez_.

Connor gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder as they trailed behind them.

Once they were all seated, Mitchell began to read.

" **If The Entry Hall Had Been Cold, the throne was like a meat locker** **.** " Mitchell paused and looked over at Leo as if he was expecting him to do something.

Said boy kicked off his shoe and began to put out the growing fire.

**Mist hung in the air. Jason shivered, and his breath steamed...All around the room stood ice sculpture warriors- some in Greek armor, some medieval, some in modern camouflage- all frozen in various attack positions, swords raised, guns locked and loaded.**

Hades and Nico instantly thought of Persephone's garden gnomes.

"He turns people into popsicles?" Connor frowned, he turned to Annabeth. "I thought you said he was friendly!"

"I said he was friendlier than the other wind gods." she corrected. "Besides, those might not be actual people, he might've just made them out of ice."  

"If they're fake, do they have to look so lifelike?" Lacy asked with a shiver.

After putting out the fire, Leo peeled off the melting tape to assess the damage. His shoulders slumped at the charred insides.  _What a waste._

He sighed, drumming his fingers on his leg.

**...From the end of the hall, a man's voice rang out in a language that sounded like French. The room was so long and misty, Jason couldn't see the other end; but whatever the man said, the ice guards uncrossed their javelins.**

**"It's fine," Khione said. "My father ordered them not to kill you just yet."**

"So far so good..." Thalia mumbled.

**...Zethes probed him in the back with his sword.**

**"Keep moving, Jason Junior."**

Connor and Leo snickered. 

"Jason Junior." The son of Hephaestus repeated with a grin. "I'm totally calling him that when I get back."

 **..."My father is not a patient man," Zethes warned, "and the beautiful Piper, sadly, is losing her magic hairdo very fast. Later, perhaps, I can lend her something from my wide assortment of hair products."**  

Aphrodite made a face at that. 

 _It could work. Her hair is a mess. _Drew thought.

**...They kept walking, and the mist parted to reveal a man on an ice throne...His arched eyebrows made him look angry, but his eyes twinkled more warmly than his daughter's- as if he might have a sense of humor buried somewhere under the permafrost. Jason hoped so.**

"Depends on what he finds funny," Nico said. "He could find turning demigods into ice sculptures hilarious." 

"Or he might actually have a decent sense of humor, you never know." Will countered.

**" _Bienvenu,"_**

Aphrodite smiled with pride as Mitchell read the French word out loud perfectly.

**The king said. " _je suis Boreas le Roi. Et vous?_ "**

**Khione the snow goddess was about to speak, but Piper stepped forward and curtsied.**

**" _Votre Majeste,_ " she said. " _je suis Piper McLean. Et c'est Jason, fils de Zeus._ "**

Percy blinked. "Piper knows French? Did she take classes in school?"

"All children of Aphrodite can speak French, it's the language of love." Mitchell explained before he went back to reading.

**The king smiled with pleasant surprise. " _Vous parlez francais? Tres bien!_ "**

**"Piper, you speak French?" Jason asked.**

**Piper frowned. "No. Why?"**

"Seriously?" Drew couldn't help but groan. "Is she deaf? Did she not hear herself just now?"

"She must've done it subconsciously." Annabeth said.

**...Khione looked miffed. "The king says-"**

**"He says I'm a daughter of Aphrodite," Piper interrupted, "so naturally I can speak French, which is the language of love. I had no idea. His Majesty says Khione won't have to translate now."**

"Good, at least you don't have to rely on her." Thalia said. "Knowing her, she'd probably misinterpret things on purpose."

"Pretty sure you're right." Leo said, rummaging through his tool belt. 

**...The king said something else, and Piper turned pale.**

The readers tensed.

**"The king says..." She faltered. "He says-"**

**"Oh, allow me," Khione said. "My father says he has orders to kill you. Did I not mention that earlier?"**

"What?!" Aphrodite exclaimed.

"I doubt they would have willingly gone with her, if she did." Thalia scowled.

"Who ordered him to do that?" Chris wondered. "Is he working for this mistress?"

Leo took out a screwdriver.

He spun it on its side.

**Jason tensed. The king was still smiling amiably, like he'd just delivered great news.**

"I guess he has the same sense of humor as his kids." Will frowned.

Nico nodded his head as if he knew all along.

**"Kill us?" Jason said. "Why?"**

**"Because," the king said, in heavily accented English, "my lord Aeolus has commanded it."**

Apollo brightened up at that. "Oh!  _Him_? They'll be fine!"

Aphrodite relaxed and giggled at her earlier reaction. "All they have to do is stall and they'll be fine."

"Aeolus will probably change his mind in about... what? Five or six minutes?" Hermes guessed.

"I've seen him change his mind faster, I'll say two." Dionysus drawled.

The demigods sent them odd looks, before turning their attention back to Mitchell.

**..." _Toujours_ , I have had a fondness for children of Aphrodite. As for you, Jason Grace, my master Aeolus would not expect me to kill a son of Lord Zeus... without hearing you out."**

"That's fair..." Percy said slowly. "But... Um...why does he want them dead?"

**Jason's gold coin seemed to grown heavy in his pocket. If he were forced to fight, he didn't like his chances...Then he'd be facing a god, two of his children, and an army of freeze-dried warriors.**

"Don't do it." Thalia warned under her breath. "Let's just see how things play out."

**"Aeolus is the master of the winds, right?" Jason asked. "Why would he want us dead?"**

**"You are demigods," Boreas said, as if this explained everything.**

"Oh..." Percy simply said. He turned to his girlfriend. "Is it sad that this makes sense to me?"

"Not really, considering that's the reason every monster wants us dead." Annabeth sighed.

"He has to have bigger reason than that." Apollo argued. "He's usually a more passive aggressive kind of guy."

**"Aeolus' job is to contain the winds, and demigods have always caused him many headaches. They ask him for favors. They unleash winds and cause chaos. But the final insult was the battle with Typhon last summer..."**

Everyone grimaced.

Dionysus subconsciously rubbed the bandage around his curly black hair.

Percy guiltily looked down at his lap.

Annabeth squeezed his hand. "It wasn't your fault."

**Boreas waved his hand, and a sheet of ice like a flat-screen TV appeared in the air. Images of a battle flickered across the surface- a giant wrapped in storm clouds, wading across a river toward the Manhattan skyline. Tiny glowing figures- the gods, Jason guessed- swarmed around like angry wasps, pounding the monster with lightning and fire.**

Leo let out a low whistle. "Wow, that sounds pretty bad."

"That wasn't even the half of it." Artemis sighed tiredly.

"We didn't even slow him down." Hephaestus added.

**Finally, the river erupted in a massive whirlpool, and the smoky form sank beneath the waves and disappeared.**

A few gods gave Poseidon grateful looks.

 **"The storm giant, Typhon," Boreas explained. "The first time the gods defeated him, eons ago, he did not die quietly. His death released a host of storm spirits- wild winds that answered no one. It was Aeolus' job to track them all down and imprison them in his fortress. The other gods- they did not help.** **They did not even apologize for the inconvenience.**

"We shouldn't have to." Zeus said. "It's his job."

"We did pay him back though," Poseidon recalled. "I remember we all agreed to not complain about the weather for a whole week. I think that counts as an apology."

Demeter blinked at that. "We did?"

Hades made a face at her. "Yes, we did. Don't tell me you didn't keep your end of the deal."

The goddess forced herself to laugh. "Of course I did."

She didn't meet anyone's eyes.

The gods gave her even looks.

**It took Aeolus centuries to track down all the storm spirits, and naturally this irritated him. Then, last summer, Typhon was defeated again-"**

**"And his death released another wave of venti," Jason guessed. "Which made Aeolus even angrier."**

"So he blames us for that?" Katie said in disbelief. "We're not even the ones who defeated him!"

"But it's easier to take your anger out on demigods instead of the actual gods." Nico reminded her.

**[Boreas] "...He issued orders to us: demigods who come to us for aid are no longer to be tolerated. We are to crush your little mortal faces."**

The demigods stiffened. Some winced at the description.

"That's pretty... harsh." Percy said. 

"He still has to listen to what Jason has to say," Annabeth pointed out. "He might not try to kill them."

Aphrodite bit her lip.  _When is Aeolus going to hurry up and change his mind already?_

 **...[Boreas]"You see, Aeolus also said a son of Zeus might seek my aid, and if this happened, I should listen to you before destroying you, as you might- how did he put it?- make all our lives very interesting."**   

Annabeth frowned.  _How did Aeolus know about Jason?_

**..."Do not thank me." Boreas smiled. "There are many ways you could make our lives interesting. Sometimes we keep demigods for our amusement, as you can see."**

**He gestured around the room to various ice statues.**

"Oh my gods!" Lacy squeaked before saying in a low voice. "Are they alive?"

"After being frozen for who-knows-how-many centuries? Probably not." Drew said, studying her nails.

"If he's the friendliest, I don't want to meet the other wind gods." Chris said.

**...Khione stepped behind Jason and put her cold fingers on his neck. "My father gives me such lovely presents," she murmured in his ear. "Join our court. Perhaps I'll let your friends go."**

Thalia scowled. "Does she  _have_ to be there? Aeolus only asked Boreas to judge, not  _her_."

"No kidding." Leo agreed, spinning the screwdriver faster.

**"What?" Zethes broke in. "If Khione gets this one, then I deserve the girl.**

Aphrodite looked ready to argue that statement.

**Khione always gets more presents!"**

"They haven't even heard what Jason has to say, and they're already talking about having them as statues." Hestia grimaced.

"Such spoiled children." Demeter sniffed. "I bet if they were working at a farm, they would act more polite."

Katie rolled her eyes. 

**"Now children," Boreas said sternly. "Our guests will think you are spoiled!**

"Too late." Hera muttered.

**Besides, you moved too fast. We have not heard the demigod's story yet. Then we will decide what to do with them. Please, Jason Grace, entertain us."**

**Jason felt his brain shutting down. He didn't look at Piper for fear he'd completely lose it. He'd gotten them into this, and now they were going to die- or worse, they'd be amusement for Boreas' children an** **d end up frozen forever in this throne room, slowly corroding from freezer burn.**

"Just tell them what you know." Thalia encouraged. "It's the best thing you can do at this point."

**Khione purred and stroked his neck.**

_Just go away!_ The daughter of Zeus angrily thought.

Leo shuddered at the mental image.  _Why did I like that girl again?_

**Jason didn't plan it, but electricity sparked along his skin. There was a loud _pop_ , and Khione flew backward, skidding across the floor.**

A couple demigods nervously chuckled.

**..."Stop," Jason ordered, with as much force as he could muster. "You're not going to kill us. And you're not going to keep us. We're on a quest for the quest of the gods herself, so unless you want Hera busting down your doors, you're going to let us go."**

"Nice!" Thalia grinned. "That should be enough to let them go."

**..."Hmm," Boreas said. His eyes twinkled, but Jason couldn't tell if it was with anger or amusement. "A son of Zeus, favored by Hera? This is definitely a first.**

"And, more than likely, last." Annabeth muttered.

 **Tell us your story** **."**

**Jason would've botched it right there. He hadn't been expecting to get the chance to talk, and now that he could, his voice abandoned him.**

**Piper saved him.**

Aphrodite and Thalia sighed in relief.

**..."All we ask for is guidance," Piper concluded. "These storm spirits attacked us, and they're working for some evil mistress. If we find them, maybe we can find Hera."**

**The king stroked the icicles in his beard. Out the windows, night had fallen, and the only light came from the aurora borealis overhead, washing in red and blue.**

Hera tensed.  _Time's running out quickly_ _._

**"I know of these storm spirits," Boreas said. "I know where are they kept, and of the prisoner they took."**

Clarisse perked up at that. "Coach's still alive?"

**Boreas waved aside the question. "For now.**

The daughter of Ares frowned at that.

**But the one who controls these storm winds... It would be madness to oppose her. You would be better staying here as frozen statues."**

"Been there, done that and I don't want to do it again." Leo said, tapping his foot.

**"Hera's in trouble," Jason said. "In three days she's going to be- I don't know- consumed, destroyed, something. And a giant is going to rise."**

**"Yes," Boreas agreed. Was it Jason's imagination, or did he just shoot Khione an angry look?**

Athena raised an eyebrow.

"Does she know something that he doesn't?" Annabeth guessed.

 **"Many horrible things are waking. Even my children do not tell me all the news they should. The Great Stirring of monsters that began with Kronos- your father Zeus foolishly believed it would end with the Titans were defeated. But just as before, so it is now. The final battle has yet to come, and the one who will wake is terrible than any Titan.** **Storm spirits- these are only the beginning. The earth has many more horrors to yield up. When monsters no longer stay in Tartarus, and souls are no longer confined to Hades... Olympus has good reason to fear."**

The tension was so thick in the room, it was almost suffocating.

Hades heavily sighed as he rubbed his temples.

" _Sssoooo_ any monster we kill just comes back?" Connor summed up. "Now what? How do we deal with that  _and_ the unkillable giants?! "

Percy bit his lip.  _There is one way... If we can just get Leo to talk about it._

**Jason wasn't sure what all this meant, but he didn't like the way Khione was smiling- like _this_ was her definition of fun.**

"What is wrong with her? Are all children of Boreas just messed up?" Thalia asked, throwing her hands up in frustration.

"Cal's not that bad," the son of Hephaestus argued.

**"So you'll help us?" Jason asked the king.**

**Boreas scowled. "I did not say that."**

**"Please, Your Majesty," Piper said.**

**...She had to scared out of her mind, but she looked beautiful and confident- and it had nothing to do with the blessing of Aphrodite.**

Aphrodite felt a sense of pride at that.

**"If you tell us where the storm spirits are, we can capture them and bring them to Aeolus. You'd look good in front of your boss. Aeolus might pardon us and other demigods. We could even rescue Gleeson Hedge. Everyone wins."**

"That's actually a good deal." Annabeth said. 

**"She pretty," Zethes mumbled.**

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the words of wisdom."

**"I mean, she's right."**

**"Father, don't listen to her," Khione said. "She's a child of Aphrodite. She dare charmspeak a god? Freeze her now!"**

_Could somebody just tell her to shut up!_ Thalia thought.

The readers stiffened.

**Boreas considered this. Jason slipped his hand in his pocket and got ready to bring out the gold coin. If things went wrong, he'd have to move fast.**

"This is going to end badly." Chris grimaced. "There's no way they can take them all on. Piper hasn't even been properly trained yet."

"They can try a fake out and run." Will suggested.

"I don't think they would make it. They could freeze them before they make it to the doorway. Besides, how are they supposed to escape without Leo?" Nyssa said.

**The movement caught Boreas' eye.**

**"What is on your forearm, demigod?"**

The son of Hephaestus froze.  _No... He wouldn't..._

The gods held their breathes.

**Jason hadn't realized his coat sleeve had gotten pushed up, revealing the edge of his tattoo. Reluctantly, he showed Boreas his marks.**

For some reason, the demigods felt uneasy about Boreas seeing those marks.  

**...Then Boreas did something unexpected. He laughed so loudly, an icicle cracked from the ceiling and crashed next to his throne.**

Mitchell frowned as he read the rest. His confusion was evident in his voice.

**The god's form began to flicker. His beard disappeared. He grew taller and thinner, and his clothes changed into a Roman toga, lined with purple. His head was crowned with frosty laurel wreath, and a gladius- a Roman sword like Jason's- hung at his side.**

Mitchell stopped reading and silently looked over the paragraph again, his eyebrows furrowed.

The other demigods stared at the book as if they were still processing the information. 

"...What's going on?" Katie asked, breaking the silence. "Did he just... transform?"

"He sounds like he's some kind of Roman or something." Connor said, laughing nervously.

"He is." Percy said suddenly. "Or at least, he is now."

Everyone turned to him.

"What do you mean?" Chris asked.

Percy stood up.

"Roman demigods and gods exist." He told them. He waited for some kind of reaction but everyone stayed quiet. 

 Leo felt like he was watching a train crash in slow motion as Percy explained everything to the other demigods. It was kinda scary how much he was able to repeat what he told him. 

"...But it doesn't have to be that way! We could work together and defeat the giants!" He finished.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Athena said, gritting her teeth as she tried to ignore the sudden pounding in her head.  _Romans and Greeks working together... Out of all the stupidest things I've heard..._

"Yes, I do," he argued. He took the gods' pained groans as a sign of disbelief and continued. "You can't just keep us separated forever, you're only delaying the problem!"

"Why can't we?" Zeus snapped, his face turning purplish red. He felt like his head was being split in two. "You can't even be in the same room without being at each other's throats! What makes you think things are going to work  _now_?"

"Who cares what he thinks? Let's just use the Mist to make them forget." Demeter said, rubbing her throbbing head. "This will never work."

A couple gods muttered in agreement.

"Wait!" Percy exclaimed. Hermes winced.

"Not so loud!" the god complained.

"We had a rocky start," Percy ignored a couple bitter laughs from the gods. "But we get along eventually. Leo told me so."

The son of Hephaestus winced when everyone's attention turned towards him. The Olympians, especially Athena, didn't look too happy to see him right now.

"Oh  _really?_ " The goddess hissed, glaring daggers at Leo.

Leo shuddered.  _Di immortals_ , he thought Annabeth's glare was bad but Athena's glare made hers look like an upset puppy. Athena's expression told him that she already knew how to completely and utterly destroy him but couldn't do it because of too many witnesses.

 _Dude! Shut up!_  he wanted to yell at Percy, but his throat felt clogged up with dry sand. Leo swallowed.

"He's met with them before and was able to makes friends despite some centuries-old beef."

The son of Hephaestus tried not to remember firing the ballista or the sounds of screaming below the ship. 

"A beef..." Artemis muttered in disbelief. "So many people died in pointless wars because of hatred, and he calls it a beef..."

"If anybody knows what kind of people the Romans really are, it's him." Percy looked at him as if to say:  _That's your cue._

 _How do I get myself into these situations?_ Leo found himself asking. He didn't move from his position.  _Shouldn't I be at school or something? Do Hazel and the others even know I'm alive at this point?_

"Hmm. Interesting." Athena's voice started to sound a little distorted, like someone was randomly changing the pitch of her voice. Not deep or high enough to pick up the first time, but Leo was already playing close attention to what was happening to her and the others. "Let's see how much he knows."

She turned her steely gaze at Leo.

After some coaxing gestures from Annabeth and a quick thumbs up from Thalia, he stood up. 

"Do you know about the history between the Ancient Greeks and Romans?" she asked. The goddess schooled her features but her hand clenched around her armrest.

 He tugged on his sleeves as he nodded. 

She narrowed her eyes. "Then you know what happened to Athens? And what they did?"

He hesitated before nodding again. 

"I know they took it," he said, dreading her reaction.

Now Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia looked confused, but the Olympians knew what he meant. They winced as the goddess's form flickered.

"You know what those  _disgusting Romans_ did to your people, yet you befriend them and encourage others to do the same?!" Minerva cried in outrage. Her expression was full of betrayal and disgust. " _You traitorous..._ "

She groaned and flickered back to Athena, who acted like nothing just happened.

"You're a smart boy,  _Leonidas_." She didn't even bother to hide her smile at his discomfort. "You know this is pointless. The Greeks' hatred of the Romans is too strong. You've seen their earlier reactions, it would be better if we just leave the Romans to their own devices and fight the giants on our own. There would be less bloodshed that way."

The other Olympians whispered back and worth to each other.

It took some effort, but Leo finally worked up the courage to speak up.

"That won't work, not this time. If we want to beat the giants, we have to work with them."

Athena gnashed her teeth, the some other gods looked ready to protest but Leo cut them off before they could intimidate him again.

"Listen, I know this rivalry and these feelings aren't going to go away overnight, but, in the future, we're trying to set aside our differences." He brushed his hair back. "It's not easy but we're working on it..."

Leo wished he sounded more confident

"You're making a big risk for something you're doubtful about." Zeus pointed out.

 _Nooo_. Leo wanted to say.  _Your wife's making a big risk, I'm just the scapegoat. Seriously, why is she so quiet? She should have my back right now!_

Instead, he shrugged. "Gotta take the risk."

"I hope you're right." Athena said, her tone of voice told Leo otherwise. "The last thing we'd want is for this to be  _a waste of time._ "

"There still some books left, they would have to know Jason's past and interact with the Romans at some point. We could decide how we should approach the situation based off that." Surprisingly, Aphrodite suggested.

"We're already in the middle of reading, we might as well finish." Hephaestus agreed.

"All in favor," Hermes said. 

Except Athena, the gods begrudgingly raised their hands.

Leo's shoulders sagged in relief. "Um... Great."

"It's not over yet," Poseidon told him. "We still haven't decided."

"And when we find out your little alley ship was hopeless from the start, you will face the consequences." Athena promised.

" _What?_ This isn't even my idea!" Leo protested. Hera sent him a warning glare.

"True," the goddess of wisdom gave Hera a knowing look. "But to be a Greek demigod and support such nonsense is unacceptable. I won't stand for such blasphemy!" 

"Let's just read before you make any rash decisions." Hephaestus hurriedly cut in.

"Yes!" Hestia spoke up, eager to stop the fighting. "Let's finish the chapter."

She kindly motioned Mitchell to keep reading.

Said boy looked like he was still trying to wrap his head around things, but he picked up from where he left off.

**"Aquilon," Jason said, though where he got the god's Roman name from, he had no idea.**

The goddess of wisdom made a face of disgust.

"So that's why he keeps using the Roman names so much. 'Cause he's Roman." Will said.

Sitting back down, Leo picked the imaginary link off his jacket. "Yup."

**..."And Hera sent you there..." The winter god's eyes were full of mirth. "I understand now. Oh, she plays a dangerous game. Bold, but dangerous!**

The other gods glared at Hera.

Said goddess stood her ground and glared back.

"This is  _your_ fault." Hermes snapped. "If you hadn't come up with this hair brained scheme, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"How else are we going to defeat the giants?" Hera snapped back. "Do you have a better idea?"

"Any idea would be better than what you're planning." Dionysus said.

"I'm trying to save us all from being overtaken by the giants! You should be grateful!"

"Grateful?!" Demeter angrily repeated.

"ENOUGH!" Zeus shouted.

Everyone went quiet and Mitchell continued reading.

 **No wonder Olympus is closed. They must be trembling at the gamble she has taken."**  

 "For good reason." Hades said.

**...The god laughed. "No, I'm sure you don't. This should be very interesting to watch."**

"Glad he's enjoying it..." Hephaestus grumbled sarcastically. 

"Does that mean he's going to let them go?" Annabeth asked.

**..."My dear," Boreas said, "there is no reason for me to kill you. If Hera's plan fails, which I think it will,**

"Nobody asked you." Hera rolled her eyes.

**You will tear each other apart. Aeolus will never have to worry about demigods again."**

The demigods stiffened.

"Um... He says that, but they won't really be trying to kill us or anything, right?" Chris nervously asked Leo.

The son of Hephaestus fiddled with his zipper. 

"No." Leo lied. What else could he say?  _'Normally they wouldn't but since I blasted their city, they kinda want us dead! Sorry!'_ There's no way they'd take that lightly, especially the gods.

 _If they ever find that out, we're screwed._ he grimaced.  _Well... I'll be screwed._

**Jason felt as if Khione's cold fingers were on his neck again, but it wasn't her- it was just the feeling that Boreas was right.**

"Even he knows this won't work." Artemis said.

"Just give it a chance." Leo pleaded.

**That sense of wrongness which bothered Jason since he got to Camp Half-Blood, and Chiron's comment about his arrival being disastrous- Boreas knew what they meant.**

"He's always so positive." Leo said sarcastically, tapping his foot.

**"I don't suppose you could explain?" Jason asked.**

**"Oh, perish the thought! It is not for me to interfere in Hera's plan. No wonder she took your memory." Boreas chuckled, apparently still having a great time imaging demigods tearing each other apart.**

Ares, with a content smile, day dreamed of something similar.

_That's it you Roman scum! Kill the Graecus!_

**..."Now, as I was saying, I have a good reputation, but it is rare that Boreas plays an important role in the affairs of the gods.**

"Oh great! We got another one of  _those_ gods again." Poseidon sighed.  _Always trying to be bigger than they are._

**I sit here in my palace, at the edge of civilization, and so rarely have amusements. Why, even that fool Notus, the South Wind, gets spring break in Cancun. What do I get? A winter festival with naked Quebecois rolling around in snow!"**

"They what?" Connor laughed despite the situation.

"They aren't really naked." Athena explained. "They wear swim suits and take snow baths. It's a tradition in the winter festival."

**"I like the winter festival," Zethes muttered.**

**"My point," Boreas snapped, "is that I now have a chance to be the center. Oh, yes, I will let you go on this quest. You will find your storm spirits in the windy city, of course. Chicago-"**

**...Boreas ignored his daughter. "If you can capture the winds, you may be able to gain safe entrance to the court of Aeolus. If by some miracle, you succeed, be sure to tell him you captured the winds on my orders."**

"Sounds like a good deal, now they know where to go to next." Percy said.

**"Okay, sure," Jason said. "So Chicago is where we'll find this lady who's controlling the winds? She's the one who's trapped Hera?"**

**"Ah." Boreas grinned. "Those are two different questions, son of Jupiter."**

A couple of demigods made faces at the title.

"Now he's using Roman terms." Chris noted, looking unsure of what to think about that.

**..."The one who controls the winds," Boreas continued, "yes, you will find her in Chicago. But _she_ is only a servant- a servant who is very likely to destroy you.**

_She would've if it wasn't for Piper._ Leo thought, throwing his hands in his pockets.

**If you succeed against her and take the winds, then you may go to Aeolus. Only he had knowledge of all the winds on earth. All secrets come to fortress eventually. If anyone can tell you where Hera is imprisoned, it is Aeolus.**

"Should we even bother saving her? Maybe we can think of another plan." Apollo suggested innocently. 

Hera icily glared at him. "We are not going through this again." 

She ordered Mitchell to keep reading.

**As for who you will meet when you finally find Hera's cage- truly, if I told you that, you would beg me to freeze you."**

**"Father," Khione protested, "you can't simply let them-"**

**"I can do what I like," he said, his voice hardening. "I am still master here, am I not?"**

**The way Boreas glared at his daughter, it was obvious they had some ongoing argument.**

Athena raised an eyebrow at this.

**Khione's eyes flared with anger, but she clenched her teeth. "As you wish, Father."**

**...Back in the entry hall, Cal and Leo were waiting for them. Leo looked cold but unharmed... Festus the dragon was back in normal form, snorting fire over his scales to keep himself defrosted.**

**As Khione lead them down the stairs, Jason noticed that Leo's eyes followed her. Leo started combing his hair back with his hands.**

Leo rolled his eyes at his actions.

**Uh-oh, Jason thought. He made a mental note to warn Leo about the snow goddess later. She was not someone to get a crush on.**

Aphrodite nodded her head in agreement.

 _I'll handle it._ the goddess of love promised.

**At the bottom step, Khione turned toward Piper. "You have fooled my father, girl. But you have not fooled me. We are not done. And you, Jason Grace, I will see you as a statue in the throne room soon enough."**

"Oh shut up!" Thalia growled.

**"Boreas is right," Jason said. "You're a spoiled kid. See you around, ice princess."**

"Probably not a good idea, she's still a goddess." Nico pointed out.

"Who cares? What's the worst she's going to do? Throw a snowball at him?" Thalia said dismissively, but she knew Khione could do a lot worse.

**Khione's eyes flared pure white. For once, she seemed at loss for words. She stormed back up the stairs- literally. Halfway up, she turned into a blizzard and disappeared.**

" _Pfft_. Please." Thalia said.

**...Leo looked devastated. "What happened up there? You made her mad? Is she mad at me too? Guys, that was my prom date!"**

"I'm sure you'll find someone else." Katie told him.

**...What _had_ happened up there? Jason wasn't sure. Boreas had turned into Aquilon, his Roman form, as if Jason's presence caused him to schizophrenic.**

_Is that what happened to the gods just now?_ Annabeth wondered. She shuddered as she remembered her mother's earlier behavior. She acted like a completely different person before returning to her more calmer self.  _Boreas's personality didn't change as much as hers did. Why was she like that?_

**"Be careful, pretty girl," Zethes said. "The winds between here and Chicago are bad-tempered. Many other evil things are stirring. I am sorry you will not be staying. You would make a lovely ice statue, in which I could check my reflection."**

"A fate worse than Tartarus." Aphrodite felt a shiver run down her spine.

**...Cal patted Leo on the shoulder. "Don't get destroyed," he said, which was probably the longest sentence he'd ever attempted.**

Hermes blinked.

"Huh." he said, looking impressed. "I think that's the first time he's ever said something like that. That must've been some conversation."

Leo shrugged. "Not really, I did most of the talking."

**Next time- hockey. Pizza."**

**"Come on, guys." Jason stared out at the dark. He was anxious to get out of the cold penthouse, but he had the feeling it was the most hospitable place they'd see for a while. "Let's go to Chicago and try not to get destroyed."**

"Finished." Mitchell said. He turned to Lacy. "Do you want to read?"

"Sure." Lacy looked reluctant to read out loud in front of everyone, but she took the book.

Lacy couldn't help but smile when she found out she would be reading her sister's chapter. 

" **Piper XXI,** " she read.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A LOT happened in this chapter. I hope it wasn't too overwhelming for you guys. Please let me know if it is and I'll be sure to fix it or explain if you have any questions.


	22. Piper XXI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!
> 
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.

" **Piper XXI,** " Lacy read.

Leo stretched his arms.

"Just curious," he said. "How many chapters do we have left?"

Lacy quickly turned to the last chapter number and did the math.

"The last chapter is fifty-six, so we just have thirty-five left to go." she told him. Lacy squeaked in surprise when Leo groaned loudly in response.

"Thirty-five? That's going to take ages!" he complained, drumming his fingers on the wall. "And you guys always act so surprised when I try to leave! It's because I'm stuck here listening about events I already went through and some of them are in my point of view!"

"So you're bored." Athena said which surprised the son of Hephaestus. He thought she would still be too mad to talk to him. 

"Um... yeah." he blinked. "Kinda. I mean, wouldn't you?"

Athena smiled in understanding, but she had this weird gleam in her eyes that Leo couldn't help but be wary at. "Of course. Don't worry, I think I can find something for you to do."

Leo wasn't so sure he wanted her to.

Annabeth watched Athena's actions with a troubled expression. 

**Piper didn't relax until the glow of Quebec City faded behind them.**

**"You were amazing," Jason told her.**

Lacy smiled in agreement.

Aphrodite beamed with pride.

**The compliment should've made her day. But all she could think about was the trouble ahead. _Evil things are stirring._ Zethes had warned them. She knew that firsthand. The closer they got to the solstice, the less time Piper had time to make her decision.**

Lacy's smile faded and the goddess of love grimaced.

**She told Jason in French: "If you knew the truth about me, you wouldn't think I was so amazing."**

"So that's what she said." Leo muttered.

"Why would she even say that?" Will asked.

"So she can tell Jason the truth and feel less guilty, without really telling him." Annabeth answered.

**..."Hey," he said, "you saved me from joining Khione's subzero hero collection. I owe you one."**

**That was definitely the easy part, she thought. There was no way Piper would've let that ice witch keep Jason.**

Thalia couldn't help but smile at that.

**What had bothered Piper more was the way Boreas had changed form and why he'd let them go.**

The demigods stiffened and looked over at their parents, but the gods looked like they were just going to ignore the elephant in the room.

Percy frowned. "They can't just ignore this. We already know about the Romans, they should just tell us what we need to know."

"You know how stubborn they can get." Annabeth said. "Besides, I don't think they will talk about it unless they're arguing about it. You saw their reactions earlier."

Percy's frown deepened. Yeah. It was horrible. He felt bad that Leo had to take the brunt of the gods' anger alone.

"What do you think he meant when he said 'I know they took it?'" he asked his girlfriend. "What did they take and why did Athena act like that?"

Annabeth played with her necklace.

"I don't know." she admitted. "He never talked about it with me. Whatever it is sounds important, especially to my mom. Maybe that's why she's so adamant that we stay separated."

Annabeth wondered just how much Leo was hiding from them.

**"Trust me, man," Jason said. "Snow may be pretty, but up close it's cold and nasty. We'll find you a better prom date."**

"With my help, of course!" Aphrodite happily said, breaking the momentary silence.

Hephaestus and Leo looked devastated to hear this.

"I think he can manage on his own," the god told his wife.

"Yeah, I'm good! Thanks for offering!" Leo hurriedly assured her. There was no way he wanted  _Piper's mom_ complicating his already messed up love life. 

The goddess tilted her head. "You sure?"

"Yup! Don't worry about me! I'll manage!" he said. 

 _I'll do it anyway, he'll thank me later._ Aphrodite smiled.

Not liking the look on her face, Leo frowned back.  _Why is everyone suddenly trying to help me?  Weren't they just chewing me out earlier?_

**Piper smiled, but Leo didn't look pleased. He hadn't said much about his time in the palace...**

"There wasn't much to say." Leo shrugged. He actually wished they read a chapter about that. Maybe then he would've avoided the mess he was in right now. Or, even better, maybe they would've gotten so bored, they would've decided to skip his chapters altogether.

"That would be nice," he sighed, rummaging through his tool belt.

 **...Whatever it was, his mood seemed to be affecting Festus, who grumbled and steamed as he tried to keep himself warm in the cold Canadian air. Happy the Dragon was not so happy.**  

Travis resisted the urge to laugh at that. He forced his face to remain expressionless.

Connor elbowed him. "Com'on man, you can't stay jealous forever."

His brother scowled at him. "I'm not jealous."

"Are so."

"Am not."

"Are so."

"Am not!"

"Are so!"

"Who's jealous of who?" Leo asked, watching the back and forth like a tennis match. He pulled out a pen from his tool belt.

" _Nothing!_ " Travis said quickly. "Connor's just jealous that I'm a better pickpocket than him."

Connor narrowed his eyes.

" _Oh._ You really want to go there?" he challenged.

The son of Hephaestus doodled on his arm as the two started arguing.

**They ate their sandwiches as they flew. Piper had no idea how Leo had stocked up on supplies, but he'd even remembered to bring veggie rations for her. The cheese avocado sandwich was awesome.**

"I know, I'm pretty awesome!" Leo bragged.  _Maybe I'll make more of those for her when I get back._

**Nobody talked. Whatever they might find in Chicago they all knew Boreas had only let them go because he figured they were already on a suicide mission.**

Hephaestus and Aphrodite exchanged looks.

"We got this." Leo assured them. 

**...Piper had been thinking about the coach ever since Boreas mentioned he was still alive. She'd never liked Hedge, but he'd leap off a cliff to save Leo, and he'd sacrificed himself to protect them on the skywalk.**

"He's good protector," Grover sighed. "He has some... problems, but he still got the job done."

"Yeah, he's not that bad."  _When he's not trying to kill things,_ the son of Hephaestus added.

**She now realized that all the times at school the coach had pushed her, yelled at her to run faster or do more push-ups, or even when he'd turned his back and let her fight her own battles with mean girls, the old goat man had been trying to help her in his own irritating way- trying to prepare her for a life as a demigod.**

"He doesn't need to treat them like glass. They won't know how to protect themselves otherwise." Clarisse smiled. 

 _I don't think threatening kids with baseball bats is the best way to teach demigods._ Grover thought, but he didn't say anything.

**...Don't get ahead of yourself, she chided. You've got bigger problems. This trip won't have a happy ending.**

**She was a traitor, just like Silena Beauregard.**

Aphrodite flinched.

 _That's one thing we both can agree about._ Drew mentally said.

"She doesn't know the real Silena," Chris told his girlfriend. "All she knows about her is the lies Drew told her."

Clarisse sent Drew a deadly glare. 

'You're dead.' The daughter of Ares mouthed to the other girl. She dragged a finger across her neck to empathize her point.

Drew visibly paled.

**It was only a matter of time before her friends find out.**

**She looked up at the stars and thought about a night long ago when she and her dad had camped out in front of Grandpa Tom's house. Grandpa Tom had died years before, but Dad had kept his house in Oklahoma because it was where he grew up.**

**They'd gone back for a few days, with the idea of getting the place fixed up to sell... The first night had been so stifling hot- no air conditioning in the middle of August- Dad suggested they sleep outside.**

"It's the best place to sleep." Phoebe smiled. A couple of hunters nodded in agreement.

**They'd spread their sleeping bags and listened to the cicadas buzzing in the trees. Piper pointed out the constellations she'd been reading about- Hercules,**

Hera, Artemis, and Percy scowled at the mention of the well known hero.

**Apollo's lyre,**

Apollo winked at the demigods.

**..."You believe in magic hedgehogs?" Piper asked.**

**Her dad laughed. "I think Grandpa Tom was full of bull, too, just like the Greeks.** **But it's a big sky. I suppose there's room for Hercules and the hedgehogs."**

Aphrodite smiled sadly and the other gods looked offended.

" _Well!_ " Demeter huffed.

**They sat for a while, until Piper got the nerve to ask a question that had been bugging her. "Dad, why don't you ever play Native American parts?"**

**...He winked at her. "Too close to home, Pipes. Easier to pretend I'm something I'm not."**

"That's kinda sad..." Will said with a frown.

**...She looked at the stars, trying to imagine them as glowing hedgehogs. All she saw were the stick figures she knew- Hercules running around the sky, on his sky to kill monsters. Dad was probably right. The Greeks and the Cherokee were equally crazy.**

**The stars were just balls of fire.**

"Just like the sun is a big fiery ball of gas." Artemis said with a faint smile.

Apollo playfully rolled his eyes. "You're just jealous I got the awesome car, and you're stuck with Santa's sleigh."

"It's not a sleigh." Artemis immediately corrected.

**"Dad," she said, "if you don't like being close to home, why are we sleeping in Grandpa Tom's yard?"**

"She has a point." Mitchell chuckled.

**...Piper blinked, shaking herself out of the memory. She realized she'd been falling asleep on the dragon's back. How could her dad pretend to be so many things he wasn't? She was trying to do that now, and it was tearing her apart.**

"He's a paid actor. He has a lot of experience to do those type of roles." Annabeth said, she worriedly bit her lip.  _Hopefully she tells Leo and Jason the truth soon._

**Maybe she could pretend for a little while longer. She could dream of finding a way to save her father without betraying friends- even if right now a happy ending seemed about as likely as magic hedgehogs.**

**She leaned back against Jason's warm chest. He didn't complain.**

Lacy read this out loud with a beaming smile on her face.

"I didn't think he would." Aphrodite giggled.

Drew scowled.

**As soon as she closed her eyes, she drifted off to sleep.**

**In her dream, she was back on the mountaintop. The ghostly purple bonfire cast shadows across the trees. Piper's eyes stung from smoke, and the ground was so warm, the soles of her boots felt sticky.**

The smile on Lacy's face vanished.

Everyone tensed.

 **A voice from the dark rumbled, "You forget your duty."** Lacy read in a whimpering tone.

**Piper couldn't see him, but it was definitely her least favorite giant- the one who called himself Enceladus. She looked around for any sign of her father, but the pole where he'd been chained was no longer there.**

Lacy shivered.

"Wh-Where'd he go?" Aphrodite squeaked.

"I'm sure he's fine." Athena assured the paling goddess. "Enceladus still needs him as a hostage to persuade Piper to join him."

"Thanks but that doesn't really help." the goddess of love murmured.

**"Where is he?" she demanded. "What've you done to him?"**

**...** **"His body is safe enough, though I fear the poor man's mind can't take much more of my company. For some reason he finds me- disturbing.**

"Gee, I wonder why..." Leo muttered, doodling a smiley face.

**You should hurry, girl, or I fear there will be little left to save.**

Aphrodite clenched her teeth.

**"Let him go!" she screamed. "Take me instead. He's just a mortal!"**

**"But, my dear," the giant rumbled, "we must prove our love for our parents. That's what _I'm_ doing. Show me you value your father's life by doing what I ask. Who's more important- your father, or a deceitful goddess who used you, toyed with your emotions, manipulated your memories, eh? What is Hera to you?"**

Aphrodite glared at said goddess.

**Piper began to tremble. So much anger and fear boiled inside her, she could hardly talk. "You're asking me to betray my friends."**

**"Sadly, my dear, your friends are destined to die. Their quest is impossible. Even if you succeeded, you heard the prophecy: unleashing Hera's rage would mean your destruction.**

"It didn't say that in those words!" Hera angrily said. "That part of prophecy could mean something else entirely, like the death of our enemies!"

"Or not." Annabeth muttered.

**"I can't," Piper said. "You can't ask me-"**

**"To betray that foolish boy Valdez, who always irritated you and is now hiding secrets from you?**

Leo stiffened. "I wasn't hiding secrets! I just... didn't mention it."

"Hiding information is considered keeping a secret. Ya'know, you're pretty good at secrets. Better than some people would give you credit for." Annabeth said, giving him a look.

He made a face in response.

"Huh?" He scratched his head with the back of his pen. "Oh. You mean the Roman demigods..." 

He sighed and looked down at his pen. Leo twirled it in his hand. "You know why I didn't say anything..."

Annabeth moved closer to him. She lowered her voice. "I didn't mean the other demigods. I meant the thing they took in Athens." Leo's head snapped up to look at her, his eyes wide in alarm. "You didn't tell us the full story about the Romans. They took something from us and it's driving my mom crazy."

She glanced at her mom before looking back at the son of Hephaestus. "What did they take? Why is it making my mom act so...  _weird_? If I find whatever this thing is and bring it to her, will she get better?"

Leo groaned. "Why are you asking me? Can't you ask Athena?" He immediately regretted saying that when he saw the expression on Annabeth's face. "Hey... Are you okay? You look...  _scared._ "

Annabeth stared at the ground and toyed with her necklace.

"I've never seen Mother act like that before," she admitted quietly. "She's usually so level-headed and kind. After hearing Percy's idea about working together, I thought, out of all the gods, she would agree. It's smart and with your confirmation that we can work together, it should've won her over. But instead..." 

She squeezed her jewelry. "She barely even listened and even taunted you. What kind of goddess of wisdom does that? What did the Romans do to make her act so  _irrational_?" She said in disbelief, as if  _Athena_ and  _irrational_ shouldn't even be in the same sentence.

Leo's shoulders slumped. He reached out and awkwardly squeezed her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

"The Romans done some things that Athena considered to be unforgivable," he explained. "So when she became a Roman goddess she kinda..."  _Went crazy._ "Got so wrapped up in her own hatred towards them, that she's not exactly thinking things through when they're involved."  _Did that come out better or worse?_

Annabeth finally looked up at him. Her eyes were filled with concern.

"Is there any way to snap her out of it?" she asked. 

Leo hesitated. He wished he could just pull that stupid statue out of his tool belt but, of course, it's still on his ship in the future. 

"I know this won't solve the problem completely, but we really have to try to get the demigods and the other gods on board. Then, Athena won't have a choice but to accept it." Leo tapped the pen on his leg. 

Annabeth didn't look to happy with the idea but she sighed. "It's better than nothing. There's not much we can really do here."

With that, she moved back to Percy and the two whispered back and forth to each other, no doubt talking about the conversation that just happenned. 

 _I hope everything works out._ Leo thought with an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

**To give up a boyfriend you never really had?**

"She still has a chance to be with him." Aphrodite pointed out.

**Is that more important than your own father?"**

**"I'll find a way to defeat you," Piper said. "I'll save my father _and_ my friends."**

_Right!_ Lacy agreed as she continued reading.

 **The giant growled in the shadows. "I was once proud too. I thought the gods could never defeat me.** **Then they hurled a mountain on top of me, crushed me into the ground, where I struggled for eons, half-conscious in pain. That taught me patience, girl. It taught me not to act rashly. Now I've clawed my way back with the help of the waking earth. I am only the first. My brethren will follow.**

Some people shuddered.

**We will not be denied our vengeance- not this time. And you, Piper McLean, need a lesson in humility. I'll show you how easily your rebellious spirit can be brought to earth."**

**The dream dissolved. And Piper woke up screaming, free falling through the air.**

Lacy gasped.

Leo nearly face-palmed.  _Aw crap! I was so caught up with Annabeth, I forgot this happened._

Thalia turned two shades paler. 

"Didn't you say the dragon was safe to ride?" she snapped at Leo.

"He was." Leo insisted, only to be met with skeptical looks.

"Then what happened to the dragon?" Nyssa asked.

Before he could try to think of an explanation, Annabeth came to his rescue. 

"It might not be Festus' fault," she said. "Enceladus could've done something to make Piper 'be brought to earth'."

"Whatever it is, we can find out in the next chapter!" Lacy hurriedly said, eager to find out what happens next. "Does anybody want to read?"

Dionysus sighed dramatically when he realized he was on the last page of his magazine.

 _I could torture myself again by looking at wine I can't drink._ Dionysus grimaced at the reminder.  _Or I could torture myself by reading about demigods._

He sighed again and placed the magazine on his lap.

"I'll read." he said, ignoring the looks of surprise. He gestured Lacy to hand him the book.

Lacy quickly did as the god wordlessly asked.

" **Pepper XXII,** " Dionysus yawned.

Zeus rolled his eyes.

"Piper." Aphrodite quickly corrected.

"Hmm." the god carelessly replied before he continued. 


	23. Pepper XXII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!
> 
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.

" **Pepper XXII,** " Dionysus began, lounging in his throne.*

Percy couldn't help but roll his eyes.  _Of course._

Pepper  **tumbled through the sky...several hundred yards away the body of the bronze dragon spinning out of control, its wings limp, fire flickering in its mouth like a badly wired lightbulb.**

Jake, Nyssa, Hephaestus, and Nico frowned at that.

 _They'll be fine._ Thalia quickly told herself.  _Jason can fly. All he has to do is grab Piper and Leo and land safely._

She took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

 **A body shot past her-**  Lionel **, screaming and frantically grabbing at the clouds.**

Hephaestus shuddered.

**"Not coooool!"**

Hermes broke out into laughter.

"Out of all the things to say, you decide to say that?" Percy asked.

Twirling his pen, Leo shrugged. "It was the first thing that came to mind. What else can you say to that?"

"I dunno. Scream? That's usually what people do when they fall from something high." the son of Poseidon said.

"Oh, okay. I'll keep that in mind for next time I fall to my death." Leo said in mock seriousness.

Hephaestus gave them a disapproving look. "We are not having this type of conversation."

 **Somewhere above her,** Jacob **yelled,**   **"** Pepper, **level out! Extend your arms and legs!"**

 **...She fell spread-eagle like a skydiver, the wind underneath her like a giant block of ice. Then** Jacob  **was there, wrapping his arms around her waist.**

Aphrodite clutched her chest and breathed out a sigh of relief.

 **Thank god,** Pepper  **thought. But part of her also thought: Great. Second time this week he's hugged me, and both times it's because I'm plummeting to my death.**

"I guess it's the only times he's willing to do it." Drew muttered in mock innocence.

 **"We have to get** Lionel **!" she shouted.**

 **Their fall slowed as** Jacob  **controlled the winds, but they still lurched up and down like the winds didn't want to cooperate.**

 _They'll be fine._ Thalia reassured herself.

Leo put the pen in his pocket.

 **...** Pepper  **locked her arms around him, and** Jacob  **shot toward the ground.** Pepper  **probably screamed.**

**But the sound was ripped from her mouth. Her vision blurred.**

**And then, _thump!_**

Ares leaned forward.

 **They slammed into another warm body-** Lionel **, still wriggling and cursing.**

Ares slumped in his seat and sighed.  _Boring._

Hephaestus let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

 **"Stop fighting!"** Jacob  **said. "It's me!"**

 **"My dragon!"** Lionel  **yelled. "You gotta save** Freddy **!"**

Annabeth frowned. "I think Festus is too heavy for Jason to carry. He's already struggling with keeping up Piper."

Jacob  **was already struggling to keep the three of them aloft,**

Thalia took another shaky breath.

 **and** Pepper  **knew there was no way he could help a fifty-ton metal dragon. But before she could try to reason with** Lionel **, she heard an explosion below them. A fireball rolled into the sky from behind a warehouse complex, and** Lionel  **sobbed,**   **"** Freddy **!"**

Hephaestus and his children flinched.

Jacob's  **face reddened with strain as he tried to maintain an air cushion beneath them,**

Thalia wrung her bow.

 **but intermittent slow-downs were the best he could manage. Rather than free-falling, it felt like they were bouncing down a giant staircase, a hundred feet a time, which wasn't doing**  Pepper's  **stomach any favors.**

"I'm surprised I didn't throw-up." Leo muttered, shuffling through his pockets. 

**...They were still high enough so that hitting the ground would flatten them into roadkill- or skykill-**

Leo chuckled.

"Not funny." Thalia murmured, tightening the grip on her bow.

 **when** Jacob **groaned, "I can't-"**

**And dropped like stones.**

Hephaestus looked ready to faint. 

Aphrodite's breath hitched.

"Oh gods!" Thalia exclaimed.

 **They hit-** Dionysus paused to drink his Diet Coke.

"Why did you stop there?!" Aphrodite asked urgently. "Keep reading!"

The god held up a finger as he took a slow gulp. Once he was done, he finally picked up the book and continued reading.

**They hit the roof of the largest warehouse and crashed through into darkness.**

**Unfortunately,** Dionysus read in a  _I-couldn't-care-less_ tone. Pepper  **tried to land on her feet.**

Apollo and Will grimaced at that.

Leo pulled out a crumpled receipt. He began to straighten the paper as best as he could.

**Her feet didn't like that. Pain flared in her left ankle as she crumpled against a cold metal surface.**

"Sounds like she broke it." Apollo said with a sympathetic wince.

Aphrodite winced as well.

"Now how's she supposed to go on the quest?  Even with ambrosia, her foot wouldn't be fully healed." Katie said.

Leo looked up from his paper and frowned.  _Huh?_ _Piper didn't complain about her foot after she ate the ambrosia._

"What do you mean?" he asked. "Doesn't ambrosia heal stuff like that?"

"It can if it's something small like cuts and bruises," Will explained. "But for something like this, it needs at least a couple days to properly heal." 

He frowned at Leo's confused expression.

"How can you guys be sent on a quest and not even know this?" Will said in bewilderment. He made a mental note to give Leo a crash course in ambrosia, nectar, and First Aid before he leaves.

 _I'll make sure to teach Present-Leo and Piper when they come to Camp._  He nodded to himself.

**For a few seconds she wasn't conscious of anything but pain- pain so bad that her ears rang and her vision went red.**

Aphrodite tightly clasped her hands together.

 **Then she heard**  Jacob's **voice somewhere below, echoing through the building. "** Pepper **! Where's** Pepper **?"**

 **..."Here," she managed, her voice a whimper.**

**...She looked at her foot, and a wave of nausea over her.**

**Her toes weren't supposed to point that way, were they?**

Aphrodite's face turned green.

Apollo winced again.

**Oh god. She forced herself to look away before she threw up. Focus on something else. Anything else.**

After straightening the paper, Leo began to fold it.

 **...** Jacob  **and** Lionel  **reached her side.**

"Um... Mr. D?" Leo said to the god of wine. Dionysus rolled his eyes and looked at him.

"What is it, Leonardo da Vinci?" he asked impatiently. "And make it quick, I'm trying to read here."

Leo blinked. " _Leonardo da Vinci?_ How...? Weren't you saying my name was Lionel a couple seconds ag... Whatever. I just wanted to let you know, my name's 'Leo' and you got the others' names wrong too."  _If he doesn't know our names, can't he read it in the book?_

"My mistake," the god said unapologetically.

Leon  **started to ask,**

Hephaestus rolled his eyes at that.

"That's probably the closest he's ever going to get with saying your name right." Connor said.

"Does he get everyone's name wrong?" Leo asked.

"I think he does it only the demigods." he replied with a shrug. "I don't know why though."

**"You okay..." Then he saw her foot. "Oh no, you're not."**

**..."You'll be fine,"** Jacob  **said, though** Pepper  **could hear the worry in his voice. "** Leon **, you got any first aid supplies?"**

 _Do they even know the basics of First Aid?_ Will found himself wondering. 

 **"How did you-"**  Pepper  **tried to sit up, and winced. "How did you pull that stuff from an empty belt?"**

 **"Magic,"** Leon  **said. "Haven't figured it out completely, but I can summon just about any regular tool out of the pockets, plus some other helpful stuff." He reached into another pocket and pulled out a little tin box. "Breath mint?"**

The Stolls snickered as they remembered the last time Leo said that.

Travis immediately stopped laughing and schooled his features.

Connor sighed. " _Oh for the love of- Look,_ if you really believe Leo and Katie might like each other, then go ask them."

Travis's eyes widened at that. "I can't just ask Katie if she likes someone!"

"Then go ask Leo! I don't care which one you ask, just stop acting like someone stole your favorite crowbar.  _Gods!_ " His brother threw his hands up in exasperation. 

Jacob  **snatched away the mints. "That's great,** Leon **. Now, can you fix her foot?"**

**"I'm a mechanic, man. Maybe if she was a car..." He snapped his fingers.**

Will didn't like the sound of that.  _We'll definitely go through the proper training._

**"Wait, what was that godly healing stuff they fed you at camp- Rambo food?"**

"Really Dionysus?" Zeus said. "Rambo food?"

"Actually, Father, that was in the book." Dionysus drawled.

Leo sheepishly smiled. "I didn't know the name."

Will sadly shook his head.

 **...** Jacob  **carefully pulled her backpack off her shoulders. He rummaged through the supplies the Aphrodite kids had packed for her, and found a Ziploc full of smashed pastry squares like lemon bars. He broke off a piece and fed it to her.**

 _At least one of them knows the proper amount to give to patients._ Will thought.  _Maybe the Romans trained him._

**The taste was nothing like she expected. It reminded her of Dad's black bean soup from when she was a little girl. He used to feed it to her whenever she got sick.**

Aphrodite sadly smiled.  _I wish I was there to see that._

Leo frowned at his origami... something (he honestly wasn't exactly sure  _what_ it was supposed to be), he unfolded it and tried to make something else.

**The memory relaxed her, though it made her sad. The pain in her ankle subsided.**

**"More," she said.**

Jacob  **frowned. "** Pepper **, we shouldn't risk it. They said too much could burn you up. I think I should try and set your foot."**

Apollo nodded his approval.

Pepper's  **stomach fluttered. "Have you done that before?"**

**"Yeah... I think so."**

"He must've learned it from the other camp." Annabeth said.

"But does he actually remember how to do it?" Will asked.  _He could make things worse._

 **..."Hold her leg still,"** Jacob  **told him. "** Pepper **, this is going to hurt."**

 **When** Jacob  **set the foot,** Pepper  **flinched so hard she punched** Leon  **in the arm, and he yelled almost as much as she did.**

Leo subconsciously rubbed his arm, while the some of the others laughed.

"I'm glad you guys think it's funny." he said in mock offense.

**When her vision cleared and she could breathe normally again, she found that her foot was pointing the right way, her ankle was splinted with plywood, gauze, and duct tape.**

_Okay, he passes._ Will thought.

 **..."You both did great."** Dionysus sarcastically read. Jacob  **found a canteen in** Pepper's  **pack and gave her some water. After a few minutes, her stomach began to calm down.**

 **Once she wasn't screaming in pain, she could hear the wind howling outside. Snowflakes fluttered through the hole in the roof, and after their meeting with Khione, snow was the last thing**  Pepper **wanted to see.**

"Is that Khione or is it just snowing?" Chris asked.

"It can't be her. Boreas said that he would let them pass, she can't just go against her dad's orders, right?" Percy argued.

"I dunno, she was upset with Jason for disrespecting her." Nico pointed out. "She could be doing it behind Boreas's back."

**"What happened to the dragon?" she asked.**

Everyone glanced at Leo, but didn't press him for answers.

The son of Hephaestus finished making his cootie catcher. He made a face at the lopsided origami.  _Does it look like that because it's so small? Or because I just suck?_

He pocketed the paper.

Leon's  **expression turned sullen. "I don't know with**  Freddy. **He just jerked sideways like he hit an invisible wall and started to fall."**

**...Had he managed to strike them down from so far away? It seemed impossible. If he were that powerful, why would he need her to her to betray her friends when he could kill them himself? And how could the giant be keeping an eye on her in a snowstorm thousands of miles away?**

_Good questions._ Annabeth thought.

Leon  **pointed to the logo pointed to the logo on the wall. "As far as where we are..." It was hard to see through the graffiti, but** Pepper  **could make out a large red eye with the words: MONOCLE MOTORS, ASSEMBLY PLANT 1.**

 _I can't believe I didn't figure that out sooner._ Leo shook his head as he drummed his fingers on his leg.

 _Red eye? Monocle Motors?_ Annabeth's eyes widened as a shiver ran down her spine. Judging from Grover's bleat and the grimace on Thalia's face, they figured it out too.

 **"Closed car plant,"** Leon  **said. "I'm guessing we crash landed in Detroit."**

 **...[** Pepper **]** **"How far is that from Chicago?"**

Jacob  **handed her the canteen. "Maybe three-fourths of the way from Quebec? The thing is, without the dragon, we're stuck traveling overland."**

"They can't do that. The prophecy specifically said to avoid the earth." Katie said.

"I don't even think Piper would be able to walk with her foot." Will added.

"But..." Leo still didn't get it. "The ambrosia should fix it."  _It did fix it. I'm not going crazy, right? There's no way Piper could've been walking around that whole time without a single complaint about her foot. Heck, she shouldn't even have been able to help me carry Jay. So how could she do it?_

He tapped his foot.  _Is Piper just a faster healer than other demigods?_

Will sighed.  _How could Chiron just let them go without teaching them these things._ "The ambrosia only fixes the foot  _to an extent_ , she still needs to rest and let her body heal itself. You can try giving her some more the next day, but I won't be surprised if  it still hasn't completely healed. It was a nasty fall."

"But what if she was a fast healer?" Leo asked.

"Even if she was a fast healer, the size she ate wouldn't be able to fix her foot so quickly." Apollo told him, Will nodded in agreement.

 _Why is he so insistent about this?_ The son of Apollo wondered.

 **...[** Pepper **]** **"He's right. Besides, I don't know if I can walk. And three people-** Jacob **, you can't fly across the country by yourself."**

"No he can't." Thalia wished they would hurry up and leave the car plant.

 **"No way,"** Jacob **said. "** Leon,  **are you sure the dragon didn't malfunction? I mean,** Freddy  **is old and-"**

**"And I might not have repaired him right?"**

"I'm sure he didn't mean it like that." Hestia said to Leo.

"I know." he replied, brushing his hair back. He went through his pocket.

 **..."It was my fault."** Pepper  **said without thinking.**

 _No kidding._  Drew snorted.

"That's not true." Lacy protested.

**She just couldn't stand it anymore. The secret about her father was heating up inside her like too much ambrosia. If she kept lying to her friends, she felt like she'd burn to ashes.**

_Tell them._ Aphrodite pleaded.

 **"** Pepper **,"** Jacob  **said gently, "you were asleep when** Freddy  **conked out. It couldn't be your fault."**

 **"Yeah, you're just shaken up,"** Leon  **agreed. He didn't even try to make a joke at her expense. "You're in pain. Just rest."**

Aphrodite gave Leo a grateful smile.

**She wanted to tell them everything, but the words stuck in her throat. They were being so kind to her. Yet if Enceladus was watching her somehow, saying the wrong thing could get her father killed.**

The goddess of love flinched.

Leon  **stood. "Look, um,** Jacob **, why don't you stay with her, bro? I'll scout around for** Freddy.  **I think he fell outside the warehouse somewhere. If I can find him, maybe I can figure out what happened and fix him."**

"You guys really shouldn't be splitting up right now." Grover warned, he collected some Legos that were abandoned on the ground and began eating them like M&Ms.

"I know," Leo tried not to stare as the satyr munched on hard plastic. Even with how often Coach Hedge eats random junk, he didn't think he could ever get used to seeing this. "But I had to find Festus and fix him. And it was better going by myself, since Piper couldn't walk. Besides, I wasn't defenseless or anything," he smiled widely. "I had my breath mints with me!"

Grover and Thalia didn't look impressed. 

 **...** Pepper  **realized he was a lot more shaken up then he was letting on.**

 _Guess I didn't hide it as well as I was hoping._ Leo frowned. He took out a rubber band. He stretched it as a far as it could go.

 **...** Jacob  **gave her a smile, through he looked kind of nervous. It was the exact expression he'd had on his face after he'd kissed her the first time,**

 _"You mean that time you imagined he kissed you._ Drew thought.

**up on the Wilderness School dorm roof- that cute little scar on his lip curving into a crescent. The memory gave her a warm feeling. Then she remembered that the kiss had never really happened.**

Aphrodite sighed sadly.

 **"You look better,"**  Jacob  **offered.**

Drew snorted.

Pepper  **wasn't sure if he meant her foot, or the fact that she wasn't magically beautified anymore... She didn't know what her face looked like, but probably horrible.**

 _And he finds that attractive._ Drew made a face.

"As long as Bob's not back, I'm fine with it." Aphrodite said.

**Why did it matter? She'd never cared about things like that before. She wondered if it was her stupid mother, the goddess of love, messing with her thoughts.**

"Nope, that's all you." Aphrodite said, looking slightly hurt.

 **If**  Pepper  **started getting urges to read fashion magazines, she was going to have to find Aphrodite and smack her.**

Aphrodite and a few of her children gasped.

"But those magazines help you look your best!" the goddess protested.

"She obviously doesn't want help." Artemis smirked.

**..."But you're starting to have some memories, aren't you? Like that prophecy in Latin back at camp, or that dream about the wolf."**

**"It's fuzzy," he said. "Like deja vu. Ever forgotten a word of a name, and you know it should be on the tip of your tongue, but it isn't? It's like that- only with my whole life."**

"That's awful." Percy said sympathetically.

"Yeah." Thalia gave Hera a glare.

**..."That photo in your pocket," she said. "Is that someone from your past?"**

Jacob  **pulled back.**

**"I'm sorry," she said. "None of my business. Forget it."**

**"No- it's okay." his features relaxed. "Just I'm trying to figure things out. Her name's**  Talia **.**

"Thalia." Zeus reminded his son.

"Sorry, Father." Dionysus said, after taking another sip of his beverage.

 _How come he's so quick to correct Dionysus when he gets my name wrong, yet he lets him call Jason 'Jacob' this whole time._ Thalia crossed her arms.  _I know that he's technically the son of Jupiter, but that's still you._

**She's my sister. I don't remember any details. I'm not even sure how I know, but-um, why are you smiling?"**

Everyone laughed.

"Jealousy is  _so_ stupid! Am I right, guys? Like seriously, there's nothing more  _dumb_ than being jealous when you don't even know the full story!" Connor said, laughing along. He was looking directly at Travis as he said this.

"Okay, I get it! I'll ask him!" his brother responded.

"The sooner the better." Connor happily told him.

"Shut up." Travis sneered before switching spots with his brother.

Feeling like he just drank eight cups of coffee, he quickly tapped Leo's shoulder.

"Hey Valdez! I have a question for you!" Travis said boldly.

Still laughing from Piper's actions, Leo turned to the son of Hermes. 

"And I have an answer! What's the question, Stoll?" he asked, sounding amused.

Travis froze. Suddenly all that energy he had seemed to be sucked out of him.

_How do I ask? What if he says 'yes'? Oh gods! What do I do if they love each other?! What if they're dating in the future?!_

"Um... Er... Uh..." he fumbled. 

Connor and Leo exchanged looks.

"What's his problem?" Leo asked him.

"Nothing." he casually shrugged. "He's just jealous because he thinks you and Katie are madly in love with each other or something."

" _Connor!_ " Travis hissed.

" _What?_ It's true!" 

" _Seriously!_ " The son of Hephaestus laughed. "Katie and I just met  _today!_ How can we magically be in love with each other?"

"Love at first sight." Connor smiled. "Couldn't take your eyes off her the moment she started yelling in your face."

Leo snickered.

"Hey! It made sense at the time!" Travis snapped, his ears turning red. "It's just... I saw you guys holding hands and the way you act around each other... I just thought..."

The son of Hephaestus laughed harder. " _Wow,_ that must've been stressful. Ya'know, you wouldn't have to worry so much about Katie dating someone if you ask her out yourself."

"Thank you! It would save me the trouble of listening to him complaining." 

"You guys are the worst." Travis sniffed, he promptly turned his attention to Dionysus reading. He ignored the snickers from the two.

 **"Nothing."** Pepper  **tried to kill the smile. _Not_ an old girlfriend.**

"Nope!" The daughter of Zeus confirmed with a smile. "He's all yours!"

Leo elbowed Travis's side. 

"She's all yours!" he joked.

"Shut up!" the Stoll snapped as Connor and Leo laughed at him.

 **She felt ridiculously happy. "Um, it's just- that's great you remembered.** Annie Belle

"Annabeth." Athena and Percy corrected at the same time. The two looked at each other, before Percy quickly turned his gaze away from the intimidating look.

Dionysus dismissively nodded his head.

**told me she became a Hunter of Artemis, right?"**

Jacob  **nodded.**

"Jason." Thalia immediately corrected. 

"Hmm." was the god's reply.

**"I get the feeling I'm supposed to her, Hera left me that memory for a reason. It's got something to do with this quest. But... I also have a feeling it could be dangerous. I'm not sure I _want_ to find out the truth. Is that crazy?"**

_Considering what the truth is, I don't think you're crazy._ Thalia thought.

**She stared at the logo on the wall: MONOCLE MOTORS, the single red eye. Something about that logo bothered her.**

Percy gave Annabeth a worried look when she suddenly stiffened.

 **..."** Jacob **," she said. "Speaking of the truth, I need to tell you something- something about my dad-"**

"Finally!" Aphrodite cheered along with her children (except Drew).

**She didn't get the chance.**

The cheering quickly turned into disappointed sighs.

**Somewhere below, metal clanged against metal, like a door slamming shut. The sound echoed through the warehouse.**

Everyone tensed (except Dionysus, who remained relaxed in his throne).

 _Did they get Leo?_ Grover wondered, nervously nibbling on more Legos.

Jacob  **stood. He took out his coin and flipped it, snatching his golden sword out of the air. He peered over the railing.**

 **"** Leon **?" he called.**

**No answer.**

**He crouched next to** Pepper **. "I don't like this."**

"Neither do I." Annabeth whispered, as if she was sharing a personal secret.

 **"He could be in trouble,"** Pepper  **said. "Go check."**

 _So, they got caught because of me?_ Leo thought guiltily, brushing his hair back.

"No, don't go!" Thalia pleaded.

**"I can't leave you alone."**

"So don't!" Aphrodite quickly said.

**"I'll be fine." She felt terrified, but she wasn't about to admit it.**

"Just stay together!" the goddess begged.

Jacob  **hesitated. "I'll leave you the pack. If I'm not back in five minutes-"**

Aphrodite bit her lip. 

"What can she even do? She can't walk!" Lacy whimpered.

**..."Get going, Sparky, before I skewer _you_."**

The sides of Leo's mouth twitched, but he didn't smile.

He forced himself to focus his attention on the rubber band in his hand.

**"Sparky?"**

**Even offended,**  Jacob **looked hot. It wasn't fair.**

Aphrodite didn't giggle, instead she tightly clasped her hands as she anxiously waited to hear what happened next.

**Then he made his way to the stairs and disappeared into the dark.**

Thalia held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut.

Pepper  **counted her breaths, trying to gauge how much time had passed. She lost track at around forty-three. Then something in the warehouse went _bang!_**

Thalia winced like she'd been struck.

 **The echo died.** Pepper's  **heart pounded, but she didn't call out. Her instincts told her it might not be a good idea.**

"Now what?" Lacy was fidgeting.

"Maybe Leo will come back?" Mitchell suggested, but he didn't look like he believed it.

 **She stared at her splinted ankle. _It's not like I can run._ Then she looked up again at the Monocle Motors sign...** **Her hand went to her backpack. She took the ambrosia squares. Too much would burn her up, but would a little more fix her ankle?**

" _Oh gods..._ " Will said, his eyes widening in realization. He finally understood why Leo was so confused earlier. It wasn't that he didn't understand how ambrosia works, he just didn't know how much Piper actually ate.

"Only one way to find-  _oof!_ " the wind was suddenly knocked out of Ares when his girlfriend swiftly elbowed him in the gut.

"Piper, don't you dare." Aphrodite said, although she was helpless to do anything.

 _**Boom.** _ **The sound was closer this time, directly below her. She dug out a whole square of ambrosia and stuffed it in her mouth.**

The demigods gasped.

Will paled.

The goddess of love immediately turned to Apollo. "She won't die, right?! Her body won't burn up, right?"

"I don't know." Apollo admitted, the goddess started frantically fanning herself. "It depends if her body can handle so much."

**Her heart raced faster. Her skin felt feverish.**

Dionysus paused to take a good long drink of his Diet Coke.

"DIONYSUS!" Aphrodite shouted desperately.

Demeter snatched the book out of his hand and picked up where he left off.

**Hesitantly, she flexed her ankle against the splint. No pain, no stiffness at all.**

Aphrodite sighed and slumped in her seat.

 _I think I just got a grey hair somewhere._ she absentmindedly thought, smoothing her hair back.

"Um... I guess we figured out why Piper's foot healed so quickly." Leo laughed nervously.

"No kidding." Will said. He made a mental note to focus on dangers of ambrosia during the training,  _especially_ with Piper.

 _Shoving a whole square in her mouth..._ Will shook his head in disbelief.  _Is she asking for an early death?_

**...Had it been five minutes? Longer? The steps didn't sound like Jason, but maybe he was carrying Leo. Finally she couldn't stand it. Gripping her dagger, she called out, "Jason?"**

**"Yeah," he said from the darkness. "On my way up."**

Some people sighed with relief, while the others that knew better remained tense.

 _Gods, I hate it when they do that._ Annabeth shivered again. Percy gently took her hand in his.

**Definitely Jason's voice. So why did all her instincts say _Run?_**

The room was so quiet, the only thing you could hear was Grover's crunching.

**With effort, she got to her feet.**

**The steps came closer.**

**"It's okay," Jason's voice promised.**

**At the top of the stairs, a face appeared out of darkness- a hideous black grin, a smashed nose, and single blood shot eye in the middle of his forehead.**

Aphrodite looked faint. Lacy squeaked and hid behind Mitchell.

" _Gods..._ " Annabeth shuddered.

**"It's fine," The Cyclopes said in a perfect imitation of Jason's voice. "You're just in time for dinner."**

"Done." Demeter said. Dionysus reluctantly returned to reading his magazine. "Does anybody else want to read?"

"I will." Hermes volunteered. He moved to take the book, but Athena stopped him.

"No need," she said sweetly. "We already have a volunteer."

The goddess snapped her fingers. 

The book disappeared from Demeter's hands and reappeared in Leo's.

Said teen blinked, like he had no idea what he was looking at, before he made a look of disgust.

"You're joking right?" he asked Athena, trying to keep his cool. "Since when did I volunteer to read a chapter?  _Especially one in my point-of-view!_ "

Athena tilted her head. "You said you were bored, yes? What better thing to do when you're bored than read a good book?" She gave him an unpleasant smile. "At least, it'll give you something to do."

"Forget it! There's no way I'm doing that." he snapped.

Athena's face darkened, her form flickered. "Do you really want to challenge me?"

Hephaestus gave Athena a hard glare, but he gestured his son to start reading.

 _Of course he'd take her side._  Leo scowled but he turned to the book, ignoring the few sympathetic looks (Annabeth looked especially apologetic).

" **Leo XXIII** ," he spat out.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Whenever Dionysus reads in a 'reading *insert book here*', I always think it's kinda OOC when he doesn't get the names wrong, so I'm making sure he does here. ;)
> 
> This chapter was a lot of fun to write! Hope you all enjoyed it!


	24. Leo XXIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!
> 
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.

" **Leo XXIII** ," Leo read out loud, not even bothering to hide his anger.  _Stupid fortune cookie. Stupid chapter. How long is this anyway?_

He paused and flipped through the pages.

 _Okay._ Leo thought, taking a deep breath to calm himself down.  _Okay. It's not that long. If I can just get through this one chapter, I'll be fine and I'll never have to read this stupid book again._

"Anytime now, Leonidas." Athena said. She sat back in her throne, looking smug with herself.

Leo made a face. He  _hated_ his full name. Almost no one could pronounce it right ( _"Is it Lee-Oh-Nee-dies? Or Leo-Nay-Days?")_ And it was too long for his own good. Seriously?  _Leonidas Valdez?_ How did his mom expect anyone to say that tongue twister perfectly on their first try? The only thing good about his name was that it came with a nickname.

 _But if I tell her not to call me that, she'll probably make it her mission to use it in every sentence._ He rolled his eyes.

With the impatient looks on the others' faces, Leo finally decided he did enough stalling and began to read.

I... er...  ** _Leo_ wished the dragon hadn't landed on the toilets.**

 _Off to a great start._ Leo thought.

Aphrodite and Cabin Ten made almost identical looks of disgust.

"You didn't get caught?" Grover asked.

"Nope." he said, tapping his fingers on the book's hard cover.

Thalia relaxed a little.  _Good. Then Leo can save them._

 **...A dozen of the blue plastic boxes had been set up in the factory yard, and Festus had flattened them all. Fortunately, they hadn't been used in a long time,** **and the fireball from the crash incinerated most of the contents; but still, there were some pretty gross chemicals leaking out of the wreckage.**

Aphrodite and the others gagged and Leo couldn't blame them. 

 _Why is this so detailed?_ he couldn't help but wonder.

 **...After a few minutes climbing over Festus' inanimate body,** I... Leo sighed in annoyance.  **Leo started to get irritated. The dragon looked perfectly fine.**

"If that dragon's fine, why'd it crash?" Nico frowned.

"Could've malfunctioned." Nyssa offered. "He did have a problem with his 'brain'."

**...Then he opened the control panel on the dragon's head, and Leo's heart sank. "Oh, Festus, what the heck?"**

**...The wiring had froze over.** Leo read with a scowl. 

Hephaestus' eyes narrowed.

"His wires must've froze while they were waiting for Piper and Jason." Jake said.

"But the wires would've been too hot for ice to form on it." Nyssa told her brother.

"Then how did it get ice on it?"

"It must've been Khione." Nico said.

**Leo knew it had been okay yesterday. He'd worked so hard to repair the corroded lines, where it should've been too hot for ice to form.**

"That took a while to fix too." he grumbled.

**The ice had caused the wiring to overload and char the control disk.**

" _Great._ " Connor said sarcastically.

"Tell me about it." Leo said, tapping a rhythm against the book's cover.

"Can you fix it?" Katie asked. 

"The wires were easy, they just needed to be replaced. But the control disk..." he trailed off with a frown. The tapping got faster.

"You can't fix it." Nico finished.

"It was fine," Leo argued. "It wasn't in the best condition, but I still got Festus running again."

 **...He imagined his mom's voice** **: _Most problems look worse than they are, mijo. Nothing is unfixable._** Leo swallowed the lump in his throat as he read on. 

Hephaestus smiled slightly.

 **His mom could repair just about anything,** Leo bounced his leg.  **but Leo was pretty sure she'd never worked on a fifty-year-old metal dragon.**

**..."Gimme a nylon bristle brush, some nitrile gloves, and maybe a can of that aerosol cleaning solvent."**

**The tool belt obliged. Leo couldn't help smiling as he pulled out the supplies. The belt's pockets did have limits. They wouldn't give him anything magic, like Jason's sword, or anything huge, like a chain saw. **He'd tried asking for both...****

Travis' shoulders slumped.

"So much for that prank..." he muttered. 

Leo heard him and gave him an odd look. "What were you going to do with something like a chainsaw?"

Travis just smirked as if to say:  _You sure you wanna know?_

Suddenly, every worst-case scenario imaginable flashed in Leo's head. All of them ending with the camp in flames.

He grimaced.

 _Is this how Hephaestus felt when I asked for a sword?_ Leo wondered. He turned his attention back to the book.

**...He began cleaning off the control disk. While he worked, snow collected on the cooling dragon. Leo had to stop from time to time to summon fire and melt it away, but mostly he went into autopilot mode, his hands working by themselves as his thoughts wandered.**

_I swear if this stupid chapter goes all 'Leo XI' on me, I'm skipping parts. I don't care how bad Athena's temper tantrum gets!_ Leo swore.

**Leo couldn't believe how stupid he'd acted back at Boreas' palace.**

"Trust me, I still can't believe it." Leo rolled his eyes.

 **He should've figured a family of winter gods would hate him on sight. Son of the fire god flying a fire-breathing dragon into an ice penthouse- _yeah,_  maybe not the best move. **Leo read sarcastically.

A few people couldn't help but laugh at this. Hearing this being read from someone else was one thing, but to have Leo read the line made it funnier.

**Still, he hated feeling like a reject, Jason and Piper got to visit the throne room.**

_Give it some time, you'll get over it._ Leo brushed his hair back.

**Leo got to wait in the lobby with Cal, the demigod of hockey and major head injuries.**

Hermes chuckled.

 _**Fire is bad,** _ **Cal told him.**

 _Well, he's not wrong._ Leo shrugged.  **That pretty much summed it up.**

 **Leo knew he couldn't keep the truth from his friends much longer. Ever since Camp Half-Blood**.... Leo trailed off, reading the last part of the sentence to himself. He frowned.  _Nope. The gods already think I'm some kind of traitor, I don't need 'ticking time bomb' to be added on the list._

He flipped to the next page. 

Leo skimmed through the paragraphs, looking for a part he could start reading.

 _No. No. No._ He winced.  _Gods no. Are my thoughts always this bad? Are the other two books going to have thoughts like this?_

 _Fates_ , Leo hoped not.

" **He reached into his tool belt and pulled out a three-pound club hammer with a**... What?" he asked, seeing the unimpressed looks from the others.

"If you're going to skip, can you at least be less obvious?" Hermes said, looking more disappointed than anything else. "There're ways you can skip pages and make it look seamless, ya'know."

"Really? How?" Leo asked as innocently as he could. He rested his chin in his hand.

The god opened his mouth to explain, but he stopped himself.

"Oh no," Hermes said, causing the boy to frown. "Nice try (no really, nice try!) But I'm not giving you ideas. Just start reading."

"Can't you let me get away with this, just this one time? I didn't even skip anything important. You don't want to hear it. It's just me whining about how life's not fair and being surrounded by toilets. Aren't you tired of hearing that by now?" 

"Read the rest." Zeus ordered.

"Apparently not." Leo grumbled as he turned to the last page.

 **Ever since Camp Half-Blood, one line of that Great Prophecy kept coming back to him:** Leo hesitated but he read the rest.  ** _To storm or fire the world must fall._  **

The demigods looked horrified.

"I told you that you didn't want to hear it." Leo nervously joked, he forced himself to laugh off their reactions. "Stop staring at me like that, you're freaking me out."

The gods and demigods looked uneasily at him as if they were waiting for him to suddenly combust.

Leo squeezed the book tightly. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Um...Prophecies can have double meanings, right?" he began. "So it could mean something else other than destroying the world with fire or a storm."

"You're right." Percy spoke up. Leo let out a silent sigh of relief. "This prophecy could mean something entirely. You might not even be the fire." 

He turned to the others. 

"Remember the last one? I wasn't the hero like we thought the prophecy meant, Luke was."

Although there were still a few doubtful people, they reluctantly let the matter drop.

Leo gave Percy a grateful smile which he returned.

Hermes sighed sadly at the mention of Luke as Leo continued reading.

 **And** I'm...  **Leo was the fire guy, the first one since 1666 when London had burned down. If he told his friends what he could really do-** ** _Hey, guess what guys? I might destroy the world!_ - **As he read this, Leo could feel nervous energy building inside him.

"I was bad with controlling my powers before, but I'm getting better at it now." Leo squeaked. He felt himself smoldering a bit as he said this.

"As long as you keep practicing, you should be fine." Percy assured, he didn't even bother commenting on the flame that sprouted on his shoulder.

**Why would anyone welcome him back at camp?**

"Trust me, if Percy can destroy schools, national landmarks, parts of the city and still come to Camp every year, you'll be fine." Annabeth said, causing the demigods to laugh.

"Hey!" Percy said, pretending to look offended.

**Leo would have to go on the run ag-**

"That's not happening." Nico cut him off. "The moment you even leave Camp without saying goodbye, we'll go looking for you."

"And you wouldn't want Nico looking for you, would you?" Will said cheerfully with a laugh.

Leo nervously laughed with him. "Um... No... but if I did run, what would happen?"

Will just kept laughing while Nico gave him a secretive smile, as if to say:  _Try it and you'll find out._

 _Oookay then,_ Leo gulped, looking back down at the book.  _Let's hope I don't suddenly go AWOL in the future._

 **...Then there was Khione.** Leo felt his lip curl up as he mentioned her.  **Dang that girl was fine.** Leo rolled his eyes.  _Ugh! I can't believe I just said that out loud. Someone pass me a bottle of bleach so I can clean my mouth._

"I'm guessing you guys aren't on the best terms right now." Katie noted, seeing his expression.

"Yeah, I guess you can say that." he replied.

 **Leo knew he'd acted like a total fool, but he couldn't help himself.** Leo tapped his foot.  **He'd had clothes cleaned with the one-hour valet service-which had been totally sweet, by the way.**

"Still pretty cool." he admitted.

**He'd combed his hair- never an easy job- and even discovered the tool bag could make breath mints, all in hopes that he could get close to her.**

"Hold on!" Travis laughed. "That's how you figured out about the breath mints? Because you were trying to impress Khione?"

Leo just smiled back. "Sure was! Why? Do you have something to say,  _Mr. Gardner?_ "

That shut Travis up.

 _"Ppfft!"_ Connor ducked his head as he started laughing to himself.

   **Getting frozen out- story of his life- by his relatives, foster homes, you name it.** Leo's smile disappeared at that.

 **Even at the Wilderness School, Leo had spent the last few weeks feeling like a third wheel as Jason and Piper, his only friends, became a couple.** Leo made a face, he looked uncomfortable as he continued reading.  **...** **When** I... I mean.... **he'd found out that Jason's whole time at school had been an illusion- kind of a memory burp- Leo had been secretly excited.** Leo winced.  _Wow, that sounds pretty bad._

He briefly looked up, expecting some kind of comment, but thankfully there was no kind of reaction (aside from Athena's happiness towards his discomfort, of course).

 _How long was this chapter again?_ he thought. He turned the page. His shoulders slumped in relief.  _Almost done._

**...Now Jason and Piper were heading towards being a couple again- that was obvious from the way they'd acted in the warehouse just now, like they wanted to talk in private without Leo around.**

"It's not because they don't want you around." Annabeth said softly. "It's just..."

She trailed off, trying to look for the right words.

"A couple thing?" Percy suggested.

"Yeah! A couple thing! Sometimes, they're in their own little world."

"I know." Leo told them.  _Still doesn't make me feel better though._

 **What had he expected? He'd wind up the odd man out again. Khione had just given him the cold shoulder a little quicker than most.** Leo sighed heavily.  _Damn, who know story time could be so depressing?_

The readers exchanged looks.

 **"Enough, Valdez," he scolded himself. "Nobody's going to play the violins for you just because you're not important.** Read the stupid book. Uh, I mean...  **Fix the stupid dragon."** Leo flashed everyone a quick smile. He patted out the growing flames as he picked up where he left off.

Before he could read the next sentence out loud, Leo suddenly froze and trembled.

Picking up the spike of fear, Grover started shaking as well. 

"What?" the satyr gulped. "What happened?"

Leo forced himself to regain his composure.  _Calm down, dummy. She's not even awake yet, she can't get you._

He took a deep breath and let it out before reading.

 _**You're wrong, Leo.** _ **it said.**

The readers tensed.

"A cyclops?" Lacy whimpered.

 _I wish._  Leo thought grimly.

 **...Then he looked at the ground. Snow and chemical sludge from the toilets, even the asphalt itself was shifting like it was turning to liquid. A ten-foot-wide area formed eyes, a nose, and a mouth- the giant face of a sleeping woman.**  

**She didn't exactly speak. Her lips didn't move. But Leo could hear her voice in his head, as if the vibrations were coming through the ground, straight into his feet and resonating up his skeleton.**

Leo shuddered.  _Seriously, why is this book so descriptive?_

 _**They need you desperately,** _ **she said. _In some ways, you are the most important of the seven- like the control disk in the dragon's brain. Without you, the power of the others means nothing. They will never reach me, never stop me. And I will fully wake._**

The gods and Annabeth paled.

 **"You." Leo was shaking so badly he wasn't sure he'd spoken aloud. He hadn't heard that voice since he was eight, but it was her: the earthen woman from the machine shop. "You killed my mom."** Leo paused to swallow down the emotion in his voice.  _Don't let it get to you, just finish the stupid chapter. You're almost done._

Hephaestus tightly gripped his armrests.

 **The face shifted. The mouth formed a sleepy smile like it was having a pleasant dream. _Ah, but Leo. I am your mother too-_** **_the First Mother. Do not oppose me. Walk away now. Let my son Porphyrion rise and become king, and I will ease your burdens. You will tread lightly on the earth._ **

**Leo grabbed the nearest thing he could find- a Porta-Potty seat- and threw it at her face. "Leave me alone!"**

**The toilet seat sank into the liquid earth. Snow and sludge rippled, and the face dissolved.**

The readers waited with bated breath for the woman's face to return.

 **Leo stared at the ground, waiting for the face to reappear.** **But it didn't.**

The readers heaved a sigh of relief. 

**...Then from the direction of the factory, he heard a crash...Instantly Leo knew Jason and Piper were in trouble.**

Aphrodite whimpered.

"The cyclops must be using that noise to lure you back in." Annabeth said.

"I think so." Leo murmured, feeling exhausted.

**_Walk away now,_ the voice urged.**

**"Not likely," Leo growled. "Gimme the biggest hammer you got."**

**He reached into his tool belt and pulled out a three-pound club hammer...Then he jumped off the dragon's back and ran toward the warehouse.**

"Finished!" Leo said with a sigh of relief. He slammed the book shut, purposely losing the page. Smiling, he held out the book like it was a dead rat. "Anyone else want to read?"

Nico made a move to take it, but stopped when he saw Athena raise an eyebrow.

"I didn't say you were done." she said.

The smile suddenly looked fake on his face, Leo felt his eye start to twitch. "...Huh? But I-"

"This chapter was too short, I can tell, being the smart young man you are, you wanted to read something  _longer_ with more details and drama." Athena snapped her fingers.

"I did?" Leo stared at the book blankly as it magically opened and flipped to the next chapter.

"Of course you did, I'm a very observant goddess. I notice these things." Athena smiled at him. "So that's why I strongly recommend you read the next chapter. It'll take your mind off the boredom."

As the book floated down into his hands, Leo felt something in him snap. 

_Read again? Read again! I was just forced to read my personal thoughts out loud and now she wants me to read again?! I can't go through that crap again! There's gotta be a better way I can read this without getting to personal..._

Then, it hit him.

 _Oh. Duh. Why didn't I do that before?_ He felt his composure come back as he came up with a plan.

Much to the others and Athena's surprise, Leo gave the goddess a bright smile. "Sure! One chapter coming right up!"

Leo dramatically cleared his throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen, demigods and gods, may I please present to you,  **Leo XXIV**!" 


	25. Leo XXIV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!
> 
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.

"Ladies and gentlemen, demigods and gods, may I please present to you,  **Leo XXIV**!" Leo cheerfully said.

The readers exchanged looks at his sudden shift in attitude, Athena especially appeared to be confused.

 _Why bother reading the book, when you can hear the story straight from the source?_ Leo thought, smiling to himself as he began to 'read'.

  **I... er... Leo ente- no!- _charged_ into the warehouse, armed with his deadly mallet!**

 **He looked up at the catwalk, searching for his friends, but they were nowhere in sight. It's like they disappeared into thin air.** **He wanted to call out to them but something stopped him. Something about the factory felt...** ** _off_. ** Leo waved his hand dramatically to empathize his point.

 **He didn't know how he knew, but he knew something nonhuman was**... Leo briefly paused.  _What's a stronger word for hiding...?_ **Lurking! Lurking in the factory.** _Nice!_ **It was almost like his spidey senses were tingling.**

The Stolls snickered.

Leo stopped to grin at his own joke. 

 **Suddenly!** He paused. It was kinda funny to see some of the others leaned forward with anticipation.  **S** **omewhere in the factory, Piper's voice cried out: "Leo, help!"** He made sure to say Piper's line in a shrill voice.

Katie jumped at the sudden change in pitch.

"What the Hades was that?!" she asked.

"Character voices." he patiently said, as if that explained everything. "I thought that if I'm going to read a story with different people, I should add little voices. Was Piper's voice too high just now?"

Drew gave him a thumbs up.

" _That_ was supposed to be Piper's voice?" Aphrodite said in disbelief. 

"That was awful!" Connor exclaimed, laughing along with Travis.

"How 'bout you don't add voices at all." Clarisse told him, the rest loudly agreed.

Leo rolled his eyes. "You guys are no fun." He turned his attention back to the first page of the chapter.

**Some unlucky demigods might have fallen for the trap, but not Leo Valdez, Supreme Commander of the Tool Belt!**

"Supreme what?" Travis laughed harder.

"There's no way the book says that." Chris stated.

 _I guess I got a little overboard there._ Leo thought. "Sorry, you're right. I couldn't help myself."  _I'll have to be more careful next time._

The others looked mildly annoyed, but he shrugged and stared back innocently. 

"I don't  _have_ to read this," Leo reminded, playing with the corner of the page. "If you guys don't like how I'm reading it than one of you can-"

"No, you should keep reading." Athena cut in. "I  _insist._ "

Leo pretended to look disappointed.  _For a goddess of wisdom, you sure are predictable. I wonder if it's 'cause of the Minerva side._

 **Leo didn't say anything.** The son of Hephaestus sighed.  _Not as fun as my original line, but hey, gotta give the people what they want._

 **He knew there was no way Piper could've gone down the catwalk with a broken ankle...** He stopped as if considering something. **Well, unless Jason carried her, but that's not the point! He bravely followed the sound of the voice and reached an assembly line close by. He crouched behind a crane with a robotic arm.**

 **"Leo?" Piper's voice called out.** Leo didn't bother adding a voice this time.

 **I...** He let out an annoyed sigh.  ** _Leo_ peeked around the machinery. Two shapes were dangling from chains on two other robotic arms. One of them was twisting around as if it were alive.**

"Only one..." Thalia and Aphrodite frowned.

"I'm sure they're fine." Percy tried to assure.

 **"Nobody's here," a deep voice said.** _Or at least, I think that's what he said..._ Leo scratched his head as he tried to remember.  _It's been a while since this happened._ And it wasn't like he had been trying to remember the time his friends nearly getting eaten by cyclopes.

**"Leo! Help! Leo, help me- Bah!" Piper's voice turned into a masculine growl.**

Annabeth shuddered.

"Ya'know, if I was doing a voice, that could've been a dramatic moment." Leo said. "Just throwing it out there."

**A bright orange light suddenly came on. After his eyes adjusted, he saw the smaller shapes dangling nearby were his friends. Jason was knocked out and Piper was flailing around and gagged. They had a fire pit directly below them. The Cyclopes kept the fire burning by chucking automobile parts gasoline into the flames.**

Leo shivered at the memory. That was something he could never forget.

The readers tensed.

 **"We're running low on windshield wipers," a Cyclopes grunted to the other.** **"go get more."**

 _Did that happen? Who said that? It was a guy, right? What was his name? Cork? Or was that Ma Something speaking to the other dude?_ His brain scrambled as it tried to sort out all his memories of the event.

**While the monster left to get more flammable items, Leo realized now was his chance to attack.**

_That didn't happen right away,_ he remembered.  _Piper had to distract them and I kinda fought them off._ Leo frowned, but slightly shook his head.  _Who cares? It's too late to fix it. Just make up some random fight and wrap the story up._

 **He then...**  Leo paused.  **I... I mean, Leo... Um... He a-attacked...? No! He...** His fingers tapped out  _'S.O.S.'_ in Morse code as a question suddenly came to his head. **  
**

_...How do you describe a fight scene?_   His mind drew a blank, he felt himself start to panic.  _What the Hades? How can I have a writer's block now out of all the times? If Athena finds out, she'll- She'll-_

No. 

She'll never find out.

Because he's about to pull the best godsdamn fight scene ever, right out of his ass!

 _I can do this!_ He hyped himself up.  _I'm a smart man! I've faced worse than this! If anyone can describe a fight, who better than Leo Valdez, Supreme Commander of-_

"Uh... Are you going to start reading now?" Travis elbowed him out of his thoughts. 

Leo nearly dropped the book at the unexpected nudge.

"In a second!" he hastily replied. "I just lost where I was." 

He hummed loudly as he pretended to look. "Oh,  _silly me!_ It's on the next page!"

"You didn't even turn the page." Chris pointed out.

Leo immediately flipped to the next page.

Annabeth frowned thoughtfully at Chris's observation. "Now that I think about it, you haven't been turning the pages at all. Are you still on the first-" 

"It's a  _long_ chapter," he interrupted. "Anyways!"

 **I attacked the first Cyclopes and defeated it. The monster exploded into a pile of dust!** Leo's hand frantically moved around as if to help convey the point.  **And... I... Uh... defeated um... Market Basket? No! Ma Gasket! With fire!**

"Who's Ma Gasket?" Will asked. "Is that the name of one of the Cyclopes?" 

"I thought they were both guys." Travis said.

"If Ma Gasket is the Cyclopes, how did you kill her with fire? Cyclopes are fire resistant." Poseidon crossed his arms.

"Please refrain from asking questions, until the end of the- Hey!" Leo cried out in protest when Annabeth yanked the book out of his grip. He tried to snatch the book back, but the daughter of Athena moved out of his reach.

He knew story time was over the moment she skimmed through the paragraphs.

When she looked up from the book, Leo shivered at the furious glare sent in his direction.

"Seriously?" Annabeth said. "We can't even trust you to  _read the book_."

"I'm surprised you guys let me read the second time, to be honest." Leo said meekly. 

"What did he do?!" Athena demanded to know.

Annabeth hesitated, she looked unsure if she should say anything but eventually she reluctantly told her mother.

"He made the whole story up."

Athena scowled.

"What!" some of the other readers yelled.

"You're a better liar than we thought!" Travis gasped.

"There might be some hope for you after all." Connor added, looking impressed.

"The last part was a dead give-away, but other than that, you did a decent job." Hermes remarked.

"Hey! I didn't lie, I tried to be as accurate as possible in my interpretation." Leo argued. "And can you really blame me doing this? The first time reading was hard enough! I couldn't go through that a second time! I don't even like reading. I got my Tom Sawyer essay from off the internet, without ever reading the book!"

Percy had a weird look on his face.

"From SparkNotes?" The son of Poseidon randomly asked.

Leo gave him an odd look. "Yeah, how'd you know that?"

 Before the other boy could explain, Athena spoke up.

" _Well then_ , it's a shame you don't like reading, because you're to read this chapter whether you like it or not." The goddess glared at him. "And you won't make the same mistake again,  _right?_ "

Leo shrank back from her glare.

"Right!" he squeaked.

Annabeth handed him back the book. Leo took it with a grimace.

"Just one more chapter," she whispered to him. "You can do this."

"I hope so..." he muttered back.

" **Leo XXIV** ," Leo reluctantly read, sounding less enthusiastic than the first time.

 _That's better._ Athena thought, nodding to herself.

I... **Leo stopped at the door and tried to control his breathing.** With his free hand, Leo pulled on the jacket's buttons.  **The voice of the earth woman still rang in his ears, reminding him of** Leo hesitated.  **h-his mother's death.** Leo slightly stuttered as he read the last of the sentence. Scowling, He ignored the pitying looks sent in his direction.  _You've got to be kidding me. Out of all the things, that's the first thing to start of this chapter? It's almost like Nemesis knew I was going to read this chapter._

 **The last thing he wanted to do was plunge into another dark warehouse.** Leo tapped his foot faster. **Suddenly he felt eight years old again, alone and helpless as someone he cared about was trapped and in trouble.** His grip on the book tightened.

 _Who wrote this?_ Leo couldn't help but wonder.  _And how do they know so much about our lives?_

He paused to check the cover of the book.

No name. Figures.

**Stop it, he told himself. That's how she wants you to feel.**

**But that didn't make him any less scared.** Leo fiddled with the corner of the page.  _If I pull hard enough, can't I rip it?_

He gave the page a forceful tug. 

The paper wrinkled under his pull, but it didn't tear.

His shoulders slumped.  _Of course._

 **He took a deep breath and peered inside....** **He could make out the catwalk above, the dim shapes of heavy machinery along the assembly line, but no movement. No sign of his friends.**

"It's like they disappeared into thin air!" Leo joked lamely.

**He almost called out, but something stopped him- a sense he couldn't identify. Then he realized it was _smell._ Something smelled wrong- like burning motor oil and sour breath.**

Aphrodite shivered. "Ew!"

Percy made a face.

"Wait," he said, thinking of Grover's ability. "You can  _smell_ monsters?"

Leo shrugged. "It's not that hard. They're not exactly well known for taking bathes."

"I'll take that as a 'no'." he frowned.

**...Somewhere in the factory floor, Piper's voice cried out: "Leo, help!"**

**But Leo held his tongue. How could Piper have gotten off the catwalk with her broken ankle?**

"She  _had_ a broken ankle." Will corrected.  _I guess it's a good thing she took that risk, considering that would've held her back on the quest._

 **He slippped inside and ducked behind a cargo container.**  His hand brushed his hair back. **...Finally he reached the assembly line. He crouched behind the nearest piece of machinery- a crane with a robotic arm.**

"My story was pretty accurate. We don't even need to read this." Leo grumbled, leaning to the side.

**Piper's voice called out again: "Leo?" Less certain this time, but very close.**

**Leo peeked around the machinery. Hanging directly above the assembly line, suspended by a chain from a crane...-just dangling from chains on two other robotic arms, were two smaller shapes- maybe more engines, but one of them was twisting around if it were alive.**

Thalia worriedly frowned. She had been hoping that Leo just over exaggerated that part of the story. 

**Then one of the forklift shapes rose, and Leo realized it was a humanoid of massive size. "Told you it was nothing," the thing rumbled. Its voice was too deep and feral to be human.**

Annabeth shivered.

**One of the other forklift-sized lumps shifted, and called out in Piper's voice: "Leo, help me! Help-" Then the voice changed, becoming a masculine snarl. "Bah, there's nobody out there. No demigod could be that quiet, eh?"**

"You'd be surprised." Leo said.

 _ **...Snap.**_ **A bright orange light sizzled to life- an emergency flare- and Leo was temporarily blinded.** Leo shifted in his position.  **He ducked behind the crane until the spots cleared from his eyes. Then he took another peep and saw a nightmare scene even Tia Callida couldn't have dreamed up.**

Hera rolled her eyes.

**The two smaller things dangling from crane arms weren't engines. They were Jason and Piper. Both hung upside down, tied by their ankles and cocooned with chains up to their necks. Piper was flailing around, trying to free herself.**

Drew snorted.

Lacy whimpered.

"She'll be fine," Mitchell told her. "Leo's going to save them."

**Her mouth was gagged, but at least she was alive. Jason didn't look so good. He hung limply, his eyes rolled up in his head. A red welt the size of an apple had swollen over his left eyebrow.**

Thalia grimaced.

"Nothing a little nectar can't fix." Leo said to her.

"Just a little!" Will stressed.

The son of Hephaestus rolled his eyes. "Yes,  _Mom_."

**...But the most terrifying of all were the cooks.**

_**Monocle Motors:**_ **that single red eye logo. Why hadn't Leo realized?**

"Because you're recently claimed demigod with no training or knowledge of monsters and their behaviors." Nyssa pointed out before she added. "I wish you had some type of lesson before you left."

"Tell me about it." Will agreed.

"Still, I should've been able to piece together the clues. Cyclops are the most basic monsters in Greek mythology." Leo said.

**Three massive humanoids gathered around the fire.**

"Three!" Lacy squeaked. "You had to face  _three_ cyclopes?"

"And save my friends, who were all chained up and couldn't help me." Leo added. "No pressure, right?"

**Two were standing, stroking the flames. The largest one crouched with his back to Leo... One of the monsters wore a chain mail and a loincloth that looked really uncomfortable. The other wore a ragged fuzzy toga made of fiberglass insulation which also would not have made Leo's top ten wardrobe ideas.**

"That shouldn't even be on your top one hundred..." Aphrodite shuddered. Her children looking equally disturbed by the description.

 **Leo's legs started quaking.** Leo briefly shook his head.  **He'd seen some weird things so far-... But this was different. These were actual, flesh-and-blood, ten-foot-tall living monsters who wanted to eat his friends for dinner.**

 Grover shivered.

"If you had the dragon, he could've ate them instead." Nico joked.

Leo grinned at that. "No, that would've given him indigestion. I would've had Festus at least stomp on them."

 **....But all he had was a tool belt and a backpack. His three-pound club hammer looked awfully small compared to those Cyclopes.**   

"Maybe you can cause a distraction and try to free the others?" Katie suggested, looking unsure. "There's no way you can defeat all three cyclopes by yourself."

Leo snorted. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"They're at least ten feet tall." Chris reminded him. "They could swat you like a fly and kill you."

"I know. I had to be smart." Leo said.

 ** _This_ is what the sleeping earth lady had been talking about.** Leo's free hand went back to tugging on his jacket's buttons.  **She wanted Leo to walk away and leave his friends to die.**

"Fat chance with that happening. I can't believe she thought I would do that." The son of Hephaestus said.

**...The Cyclops in the chain mail loincloth walked over to Piper, who squirmed and tried to head-butt him in the eye.**

Aphrodite tensed. 

**"Can I take her gag off now? I like it when they scream."**

Ares smiled while Athena and Percy looked disgusted.

 _That would be pretty hilarious._ the god admitted.

**...The crouching figure grunted, and Loincloth ripped the gag off Piper's mouth.**

**She didn't scream. She took a shaky deep breath like she was trying to keep herself calm.**

Lacy was marveled at how brave Piper was. If that were her, she probably would've screamed before fainting.

"Hopefully, her charmspeak can convince them to let her go." Annabeth said.

**Meanwhile, Leo found what he wanted in the pack: a stack of tiny remote control units he'd picked up in Bunker 9. At least he _hoped_ that's what they were. The robotic crane's maintenance panel was easy to find. He slipped a screwdriver from his tool belt and went to work...**

Annabeth nodded her head in approval. "That would make a good distraction."

**...His buddy Loincloth glowered at Piper, waiting for her to do something entertaining. "Scream, girl! I like funny screaming!"**

Aphrodite gritted her teeth. _If he doesn't shut up..._

**When Piper finally spoke, her tone was calm and reasonable, like she was correcting a naughty puppy. "Oh, Mr. Cyclops, you don't want to kill us. It would be much better if you let us go."**

"He doesn't sound very smart. Maybe it can work." Annabeth hoped so. She fiddled with her necklace.

 **Loincloth scratched his ugly head. He turned to his friend in the fiberglass toga. "She's** **kind of pretty, Torque.**  Leo snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah!  _That's right!_ His name is Torque!"

His exclamation was met with confused looks from the readers.

**Maybe I should let her go."**

"Good, maybe this won't end so badly after all." Annabeth said.

**Torque, the dude in the toga, growled. "I saw her first, Sump. _I'll_ let her go!"**

"Torque. Sump. And Ma Gasket." Leo listed off. "Got it! Won't forget them again!"  _At least until the next chapter comes._

**Sump and Torque started to argue, but the third Cyclops rose and shouted, "Fools!"**

"Or not." the daughter of Athena sighed.

"Knew it wouldn't be that easy." Thalia added, also sighing.

**Leo almost dropped his screwdriver. The third Cyclops was a _female._**

"There are girl Cyclopes?" Percy asked in surprise.

"Yes, but they're more rarer than male Cyclopes." Poseidon replied.

 **...She was several feet taller than Torque or Sump, and even beefier...** **but her single red eye glittered with evil intelligence.**

Aphrodite made a face at the description. "She needs a total makeover! Where does she even get her hair done?!"

 **[Ma Gasket]"The girl is a**..." Leo inwardly groaned.  _Really, we're going to go through this again._ He regrettably read the rest. _They're going to make me say it anyway._  " **Venus spawn!"**

Unlike Athena and the other gods around her, Aphrodite's form didn't flicker.

Leo gave her a confused frown as the demigods helplessly watched the other Olympians struggle to gain control of their Greek forms.

"Not that I'm upset or anything," he began. "But how come you're okay while the other gods are fighting their Roman forms?"

The goddess of love smiled.

"Love is love regardless if you're Greek or Roman." she explained to him. "So, I was one of the lucky few that didn't drastically change when converting to Rome."

Annabeth scowled.  _Great._ While her normally level-headed mother was acting vengeful and uncooperative, they had the goddess of love who was completely fine.

 _We're screwed._ she crossed her arms. Even if they could form an alley ship with the Romans, would it really matter if the gods are still struggling to maintain forms? Would it even help her mom? What if she still couldn't be reasoned with.

 _We still have to try,_ she told herself.  _The Greeks and Romans can't stay apart forever. We'll make this work somehow._

"Does it hurt when that happens?" Percy asked, looking worriedly at his father.

"I would think so," the goddess shrugged as Ares winced. She comfortingly brushed his hair back. "Just give them time, it shouldn't last very long."

After the gods managed to regain their Greek forms, Leo continued to read.

**...[Ma Gasket]"She's using charmspeak on you."**

**Piper started to say, "Please, ma'am-"**

**"Rarr!" The lady Cyclops grabbed Piper around the waist.**

The readers tensed.

**"Don't try your pretty talk on me, girl! I'm Ma Gasket! I've eaten heroes tougher than you for lunch!"**

**Leo feared Piper would get crushed,**

Aphrodite paled at the thought.

 **but Ma Gasket just dropped her and let her dangle from her chain.**  

The goddess heaved a sigh of relief. 

**..."I should've thrown you out on the streets when you were babies, like _proper_ Cyclops children. You might have learned some useful skills. Curse my soft heart that I kept you!"**

Percy made a face at that.  _What kind of parent would say that to their kids?_

**"Soft heart?" Torque muttered.**

**"What was that, you ingrate?"**

**"Nothing, Ma. I said you got a soft heart.**

"Nice save." Hermes commented with an amused grin.

**We get to work for you, feed you, file your toenails-"**

"Ugh!" Aphrodite said, looking disgusted at the thought of filing the monster's feet.

"So she basically kept them as her slaves. Maybe they would've been better off on the streets." Percy muttered, feeling slightly sympathetic.

**"And you should be grateful!" Ma Gasket bellowed. "Now, stroke the fire, Torque! And Sump, you idiot, my case of salsa is in the other warehouse. Don't tell me you expect me to eat those demigods without salsa!"**

**"Yes, Ma," Sump said. "I mean no, Ma. I mean-"**

**"Go get it!" Ma Gasket picked up a nearby truck chassis and slammed it over Sump's head.**

Percy winced at the violent action.

**Sump crumpled to his knees. Leo was sure a hit like that would kill him, but Sump apparently got hit by trucks a lot...Then he staggered to his feet and ran off to fetch the salsa.**

"Now's your chance," Annabeth told Leo. "You should get them while they're still separated."

"Still need to finish the wiring on the third arm, for the plan to work." Leo said. "But it didn't take to much time."

**...As he dashed between the robotic arms, the Cyclopes didn't see him, but Piper did. Her expression turned from terror to disbelief, and she gasped.**

**Ma Gasket turned to her. "What's the matter, girl? So fragile I broke you?"**

**...[Piper] "I think it's my ribs, ma'am. If I'm busted up inside, I'll taste terrible."**

**Ma Gasket bellowed with laughter. "Good one. The last hero we ate- remember him, Torque? Son of Mercury, wasn't he?"**

"Sorry!" Leo said as the gods flickered again. 

Mercury looked heartbroken before changing back to Hermes.

The god sighed tiredly and rubbed his temples. "Let's just get this over with."

**"Yes, Ma," Torque said. "Tasty. Little but stingy."**

Hermes looked miserable as he struggled to remain in his Greek form.

Percy winced at the description.

"Not all Cyclopes act like this," he told Leo. "Some of them are really nice and gentle. They even make pretty cool weapons."

Knowing who he was thinking of, Poseidon, Annabeth, and Grover smiled.

"Yeah, I know," the son of Hephaestus replied. "I met your brother, Tyson. He's pretty cool."

Percy smiled fondly at that.

"Tyson's the best." he said.

 _I just wish he didn't hug so tightly._ Leo thought, subconsciously rubbing his arm.

 **[Torque] "Purple shirt. Talking in Latin. Yes, a bit stingy, but good."**   

The demigods hesistated. A few exchanged looks and whispered to each other.

Leo frowned. 

"Why are you guys acting like that? You know the Romans are our friends." He ignored the snort from Athena.

The demigods nervously looked at each other.

"You say that but..." Mitchell paused. "We barely know anything about these guys. How are we supposed to trust people we know nothing about."

The others started mumbling their agreements, but it quickly turned into them talking over each other as they gave their opinions.

"I know right? He's telling us to work with complete strangers!" one person said.

"Why should we work with them?" a voice huffed. "I didn't see them helping us with the Titan War."

"The Romans sound so controlling. How do we know that they wouldn't want to take over the whole quest?"

Leo knew it was stupid, but he looked over at the gods to see if they would try to regain order in the room. Of course, they didn't bother lifting a finger as they stared expectantly back.

 _You're on your own._ Their expressions seemed to say.

Athena seemed to be enjoying the show.

"What are you going to do now?" she asked smugly. "They don't trust them. They'll never trust them. You already lost."

Leo wanted to throw the book on the ground and run away. He wanted to rebuild his time machine and take off. He had no idea what to say to fix this. What more could he say to get them to believe him because apparently saying 'They're the good guys!' doesn't work anymore.

Thankfully Annabeth knew what to say.

"QQQUUUIIITTTEE!!" she shouted. 

Everyone shut up and directed their attention to her.

Athena blinked in surprise.

 _Why can't I do that?_ Leo wondered absentmindedly.

"Can't you see this is what the giants want us to do? It would be easier for them to take us out when we're separated than if we're working together as a team."

The goddess of wisdom narrowed her eyes.

" _Annabeth_..." she warned.

Her daughter paused but she didn't stop. Annabeth took a deep breath and let it out.

"Athena isn't the goddess of revenge. If this were any other group of people, you'd be suggesting the same thing.  _Please_ Mom, be reasonable..."

"After what those barbarians did to me?! Never!" Athena snapped back. She winced as she felt her Roman side fight for control. "Making a  _Roman_ out of me! Stripping me of my title! You of all people should be on my side, avenging me." 

Annabeth frowned. "'Stripping you of your title'? What are you talking about?"

Despite the pain, she laughed. "So he hadn't told you? How interesting! And yet, you trust him when he says the Romans are reliable allies."

The demigods started whispering to each other.

"I forgot!" Leo defended. "You can't expect me to remember everything!"

"Did you forget to bring your homework too? Or did the dragon eat that?" Athena sneered. "Just like his Roman  _friends_ , he lies!  _Traitor!_ "

As the talking started to get louder, Nico spoke up.

"Look, the problem was that you guys don't trust the Romans because you know nothing about them, right? How about instead of jumping to conclusions, you just ask him what they're like?" he said, as if it was obvious.

Silence. Everyone turned to the son of Hades.

Chris raised an eyebrow.

"You guys?" he repeated.

"Yes,  _you guys._ I trust Leo. The Romans might not be so bad." Nico shrugged.

The demigods looked at him in surprise, even Annabeth looked like she was not expecting him to take Leo's side so quickly.

"Um... Okay... Let's ask him..." the daughter of Athena said, still thrown for a loop. "Leo?"

Now that the attention was back on Leo, he wasn't sure what to do with it. He knew next to nothing about Roman culture or what the citizens of New Rome were like. He hadn't even gotten a chance to walk around the city since Octavian demanded to be taken straight to the ship.

 _Should I even be talking about how great the Roman people are?_ Leo grimaced.  _I blew up their city! ...I wish Jay or Percy were here._

The son of Hephaestus folded the corner of the page.

"Well... They make good hot chocolate..." Leo began lamely.  _At least, that's what I heard Annabeth tell Piper._

The others looked unimpressed.

"We want to know what they're like as people." Katie said. 

"Um... They're pretty cool. They were kinda strict and disciplined,"

Travis made a noise of disapproval at that.

"But they were really open minded about working with us. So, if they can be accepting about us, I think we should do the same." 

He stopped talking and folded another corner of the page.

"That's it?" Clarisse snorted. "That's the best you can give us?"

 _That's all I got._ Leo thought miserably.  _I really don't know much about them._ "You guys are going to find out what they're like eventually. Don't want to ruin the surprise!"

He tried to sound upbeat but the expressions he was getting really made it hard. 

Nico looked puzzled. He stared at Leo as if he understand why didn't he go into more detail.

With little else to do, Leo just started reading.

 **..."Good eating," Ma Gasket said fondly. "Point is, girl, we're not as dumb as people think!** Leo rolled his eyes.  _Uh-huh. Sure. Keep telling yourself that._ **We're not falling for those stupid tricks and riddles, not us Northern Cyclopes."**

 **...He looked up at the engine clock suspended right above the Cyclops' campsite. He wished he could use that- it would make a great weapon. But the crane holding it was on the opposite side of the conveyor belt.**  Leo tapped his foot again. **There was no way Leo could get over there without being seen, and besides, he was running short on time.**

**...From his tool belt he summoned some wires, a radio adapter, and a smaller screwdriver and started to build a universal remote. For the first time, he said a silent thank-you to his dad- Hephaestus- for the magic tool belt.**

Hephaestus smiled at that.

 _**Get me out of here,** _ **he prayed, _and maybe you're not such a jerk._**

The god of fire chuckled while the other gods gave Leo disapproving looks.

"You shouldn't let him talk to you like that." Demeter told Hephaestus with a frown.

The god gave her a dismissive wave. "It's fine."

**..."Flattery won't work either," Ma Gasket said, though she sounded pleased. "It's true, you'll be breakfast for the best Cyclopes around."**

Poseidon rolled his eyes at this.  _That's what you think._

**"But aren't Cyclopes good?" Piper asked. "I thought you made weapons for the gods."**

"She's thinking about the elder Cyclopes." Poseidon said.

 **"Bah! I'm very good. Good at eating people. Good at smashing. And good at building things, yes, but not for the gods. Our cousins, the elder Cyclopes, they do this, yes. Thinking they're so high and mighty 'cause they're a few thousand years older. Then there's our southern cousins, living on islands and tending their sheep, Morons! But we Hyperborean Cyclopes, the northern clan, we're the best!** Blah, blah, blah! Can we just skip this?" Leo complained. "This is just boring."

Athena tilted her head. "Would you rather tell us why you were so vague about the Romans?"

 _Reading filler it is._ Leo decided as he read on.

" **Founded Monocle Motors in this old factory- the best weapons, armor, chariots, fuel-efficient SUVs! And yet- bah! Forced to shut down. Laid off most of our tribe.** _How exactly is this piece of information going to save the future?_  Leo wondered, bouncing his leg.  **The war was too quick. Titans lost. No good! No more need for Cyclops weapons."**

"Figures they would be working for the Titans." Clarisse muttered.

**"Oh, no," Piper sympathized. "I'm sure you made some amazing weapons."**

**..."Can I see it?" Piper asked. "If you could just free my hands-"**

**Torque stepped forward eagerly, but Ma Gasket said, "Stupid! She's tricking you again. Enough talk! Slay the boy first before he dies on his own. I like my meat fresh."**

Thalia's grip tightened.  _Hurry up, Leo!_

 _**No!** _ **Leo's fingers flew, connecting the wires for the remote. _Just a few more minutes!_**

 _You don't have time for that!_ Thalia pressed.

**...The wires sparked in Leo's hand. The Cyclopes froze and turned in his direction.**

Everyone (except for Leo, Ares, Athena, and Dionysus) stiffened.

"Finally, some action." Ares said, stretching his arms as Dionysus stared longingly at the red wine in the magazine.

**Then Torque picked up a truck, and threw it at him.**

**Leo rolled as the truck steamrolled over the machinery. If he'd been a half-second slower, he would've been smashed.**

Hephaestus shuddered at the thought.

**He got to his feet, and Ma Gasket spotted him.**

"Hopefully your plan still works." Katie said.

**...Torque barreled toward him. Leo frantically gunned the toggle on his makeshift remote.**

**Torque was fifty feet away. Twenty feet.**

"Thank you, boy, but we could live without the description." his father muttered under his breath, trying to control his racing heart.

"Sorry, that's how it's written." Leo shrugged.

**Then the first robotic arm whirred to life. A three-ton yellow metal claw slammed the Cyclops in the back so hard, he landed flat on his face.**

Hephaestus sighed with relief.  _Machines, always there when you need them._

The rest of the demigods looked surprised at the sudden action.

**Before Torque could recover, the robotic hand grabbed him by one leg and hurled him straight up.**

**"AHHHHHH!" Torque rocketed into the gloom.**

**...Torque never came back down. Instead, yellow dust rained to the floor. Torque had disintegrated.**

"It worked." Will said in awe.

Leo grinned at him. "Don't act so surprised. My plans can work sometimes."

" _Ahem..._ Nice work." Hephaestus told his son. His eyes looking up at the ceiling.

Leo blinked at him in surprise before looking back down at the book.

"Um... Thanks..." he said, fiddling with the page. He couldn't help but feel conscious of how awkward they must look to the others. 

He started reading again.

**...As if on cue, Sump lumbered into the firelight with a case of salsa. "Ma, I got the extra-spicy-"**

**He never finished his sentence. Leo spun the remote's toggle, and the second robotic arm whacked Sump in the chest. The salsa case exploded like a pinata and Sump flew backward, right into the base of Leo's third machine. Sump may have been immune to getting hit with truck chasses, but he wasn't immune to robotic arms that could deliver ten thousand pounds of force. The third crane arm slammed him against the floor so hard, he exploded into dust like a broken flour sack.**

**Two Cyclopes down. Leo was beginning to feel like Commander Tool Belt**

The Stolls snickered.

**when Ma Gasket locked her eye on him.**

**She grabbed the nearest crane arm and ripped it off its pedestal with a savage roar.**

The readers tensed.

"Now what?" Lacy said.

"He's still got two more left," Will said. "He still has a chance."

**Leo punched a button, and the two remaining arms swung into action. Ma Gasket caught the first one and tore it in half. The second arm smacked her in the head, but it only seemed to get her mad. She grabbed it by the clamps, ripped it free,**

"Or not." Will grimaced.

**and swung it like a baseball bat. It missed Piper and Jason by an inch.**

Aphrodite gulped and Thalia chewed her lip.

**Then Ma Gasket let it go- spinning it toward Leo.**

Hephaestus paled.

**He yelped and rolled to one side as it demolished the machine next to him.**

**...The future of Commander Tool Belt was not looking so hot.**

Ares smiled wider and leaned closer.

**..."Any more tricks, demigod?" Ma Gasket demanded.**

**Leo glanced up. The engine block suspended on the chain- if only he'd had time to rig it. If only he could get Ma Gasket to take one step forward. The chain itself... that one link... Leo shouldn't have been able to see it, especially from so far down, but his senses** **told him there was metal fatigue.**

**"Heck, yeah, I got tricks!" Leo raised his remote control. "Take one more step, and I'll destroy you with fire!"**

Percy frowned.

"But you can't," he told him. "Cyclopes are fire resistant. No matter how hot the fire is, it shouldn't be able to hu-"

"Actually," Annabeth interrupted, realizing his plan. "You can."

"Huh?" he said, looking confused. 

**Ma Gasket laughed. "Would you? Cyclopes are immune to fire, you idiot. But if you wish to play with flames, let me help!"**

**She scooped red-hot coals into her bare hands and flung them at Leo. They landed all around his feet....** **Then Ma Gasket grinned and picked up a barrel next to the truck. Leo just had enough time to read the stenciled word on the side- _KEROSENE-_ before Ma Gasket threw it.**

**The barrel split on the floor in front of him, spilling lighter fluid everywhere.**

**Ma Gasket looked astonished. "You live?"**

**Then she took that extra step forward, which put her right where Leo wanted.**

**...He pointed one finger in the air and summoned all his will. He'd never tried to do anything so focused and intense-** **but he shot a bolt of white hot flames at the chain suspending the engine block above the Cyclops' head- aiming for the link that looked weaker than the rest.**

**The flames died. Nothing happened.**

A couple shoulders slumped. 

Ares laughed loudly.

"Fail!"

Behind the book, Leo rolled his eyes.  _Honestly if you would just wait a few lines..._

Hephaestus glared at the god.

**...The chain snapped- that single link heated beyond its tolerance point- and the engine block fell, deadly and silent.**

**"I don't think so," Leo said.**

**Ma Gasket didn't even look up.**

_**Smash!** _ **No more Cyclops- just a pile of dust under a five ton engine block.**

"I stand corrected." Percy smiled.

"Dude, that was awesome!" Travis said, Connor nodded in agreement.

"It was okay." Leo shrugged with a small smile.

**"Not immune to fire, huh?" Leo said. "Boo-yah!"**

**...He stumbled to his feet. He'd never tried to summon such an intense fire before, and it had left him completely drained.**

_I knew we should've practiced in the junkyard._ Hera sighed. 

**...Then together they lowered Jason, who was still unconscious.**

Thalia wrung her bow.

 **Piper managed to trickle a little nectar into his mouth, and he groaned.** **The welt on his head started to shrink. His color came back a little.**

Thalia relaxed slightly.

Will crossed his arms and scowled.  _Of course she was able to give Jason the proper amount. But when it comes to herself, 'I'll just eat the whole thing! What's the worst that can happen?'"_

He made a mental note to add 'self-preservation' conversations into the training.  _I have a feeling these two are going to need it._

**"Yeah, he's got a nice thick skull," Leo said. "I think he's gonna be fine."**

Thalia smiled as she rolled her eyes at that.

**Leo looked down. "Always," he said. "I'm a freaking menace. Sorry, I know I should've told you guys sooner but-"**

"Don't apologize," Clarisse told him as if that was the stupidest thing she ever heard. "Your ability just saved their lives."

Leo grinned. "Yeah, you're right."

 **...Leo blinked. He started to smile, but his sense of relief was ruined when**   **he noticed something next to Piper's foot.**

The readers tensed.

Annabeth frowned. "What...?"

**Yellow dust- the powdered remains of the Cyclopes, maybe Torque- was shifting across the floor like an invisible wind has pushed it back together.**

"Oh my gods..." Katie gasped.

 "It shouldn't be that quick." Chris paled. "It hasn't even been a  _day_ yet!"

"Okay, I knew it was bad, but I didn't know it was this bad!" Connor cried. 

Hades grimaced.  _It's worse than I thought._

**...Piper stepped away from the dust. "That's not possible. Annabeth told me monsters dissipate when they're killed. They do back to Tartarus and can't return for a long time."**

"If you're lucky, which we're not." Percy murmured.

**"Well, nobody told the dust that." Leo watched as it collected into a pile, then very slowly spread out, forming a shape with arms and legs.**

"You need to leave now!" Aphrodite said urgently.

**Leo thought about the face that had formed in the ground outside- the sleeping woman who was _definitely_ a horror from the earth.**

"You have no idea." Athena whispered.

**"I don't know," he said. "But we need to get out of here."**

"Finished!" Leo said with a sigh of relief. "Is it just me or was this chapter the longest one in the book?"

"Maybe. It probably didn't help that you were making things up before you actually started reading." Nico pointed out. "I'll read next."

He took the book before Leo could close it.

" **Jason XXV** ," he began.

The some of the demigods made faces and muttered to each other.

Leo frowned.

 _Please don't let this be too long._ he prayed to any god willing to listen.


	26. Jason XXV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!
> 
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.

" **Jason XXV** ," Nico read out loud.

The demigods grimaced and whispered to each other.

"Com'on guys, this is the same person we've been reading for  _hours_ now! Just 'cause he's Roman doesn't make him any different." Leo wished that he didn't sound like he was begging.

"Maybe, but it does explain his weird behavior." Drew said, painting her nails. "I knew there was something wrong about him."

Leo stared at her blankly.

"Didn't you have a crush on him?" he said up front.

Her eyes widened as she nervously looked around the room. 

"Of course not! I would never like some  _Roman_! I was just doing my rite of passage." she said the last part loudly as if to ensure the others would hear her.

_Really? Because I don't think you can fake jealousy like that._ he sighed.

"There's nothing wrong with liking a Roman," Leo explained.  _I can't believe I'm having this conversation. I thought she would be into that 'forbidden love' crap._ "They're just like us."

Drew glanced at the others before sneering at him. "Figures you would say that. Bet you think you actually have a chance with those Roman girls, don't you sweetie?"

A couple of demigods snickered at this.

_Funny._ Leo thought dryly, he drummed his fingers on his leg.

**Jason dreamed he was wrapped in chains, hanging upside down like a hunk of meat. Everything hurt- his arms, his legs, his chest, his head. Especially his head. It felt like an overinflated water balloon.**

**"If I'm dead," he murmured, "why does it hurt so much?"**

**"You're not dead, my hero," said a woman's voice. "It is not your time. Come, speak with me."**

_Yes! Please! Let's all turn our attention back to Hera! The real person who's responsible for this! _Leo shoved his hand in his pocket.

**...He found himself standing in an earthen cage.**

Hera tightly clasped her hands together.

**...Outside the bars, he could see the floor of dry reflecting pool, another earthen spire growing at the far end, and above them, the ruined red stones of a burned-out house.**

**Next to him in the cage, a woman sat cross-legged in black robes, her head covered by a shroud. She pushed aside her veil, revealing a face that was proud and beautiful- but also hardened with suffering.**

Zeus grabbed one of  his wife's hands and squeezed it.

Hera gave him a soft reassuring smile and squeezed back.

**..."Welcome to my prison," said the goddess. "You will not die today, Jason. Your friends will see you through- for now."**

**"For now?" he asked.**

Thalia glared at Hera. "What's  _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It means what I said." the goddess told her. "Not everything I say has to be a concealed threat."

Hades gave her a skeptical glance.

**Hera gestured at the tendrils of her cage. "There are worse trail to come. The very earth stirs against us."**

**"You're a goddess," Jason said. "Why can't you just escape?"**

"If only it were that easy..." Artemis clenched her hands into fists.

**Hera smiled sadly. Her form began to glow, until her brilliance filled the cage with painful light. The air hummed with power, molecules splitting apart like a nuclear explosion. Jason suspected if he were actually there in the flesh, he would've been vaporized.**

Leo winced at that as if it brought up a bad memory. 

_I can't believe he survived that. How does that even work?_ he wondered. He fiddled with a screw he had in his pocket.

**The cage should've been blasted to rubble...But when the glow died, the cage hadn't budged. Nothing outside the bars had changed. Only Hera looked a little different- a little more stooped and tired.**

"How are Piper and Leo supposed to break a cage like that?" Connor asked with a frown. "It's not even a metal cage, it's completely made out of creepy vine -things."

"Don't worry, we can handle it." Leo assured.

**"Some powers are even greater than gods," she said. "I am not easily contained. I can be in many places at once. But when the greater part of my essence is caught, it is like a foot caught in a bear trap, you might say. I can't escape, and I'm concealed from the eyes of the other gods. Only you can find me, and I grow weaker by the day."**

Zeus felt his face pale.

Hera tried to put a brave face on in front of the others.

**...The goddess sighed. "I could not stay idle. Your father, Jupiter believes he can withdraw from the world, and hull our enemies back to sleep.** **He believes we Olympians have become too involved in the affairs of mortals,** **in the fates of our demigod children, especially since we agreed to claim them all after the war.** **He believes this is what has caused our enemies to stir. That is why he closed Olympus."**

"You're kidding, right? The whole reason why the Titian army was so huge was because you weren't involved enough with your kids." Percy argued. "You can't just turn your backs on us now! Especially since the giants need to be killed by a god!"

Zeus's face was turning red with anger. His fist tightened on his lightening bolt.

"Perseus," Poseidon said in warning tone.

Percy looked like he was going to say more, but he just huffed and went quiet.

The god of the sea gave his brother an apologetic smile.

"Kids..." he shrugged as if that explained everything.

"He knew I had a point." Percy grumbled to his girlfriend. 

"You do, but you can't just talk to a god like that, especially the king of gods." she shook her head. "You really gotta think these things through, Seaweed Brian."

**"But you don't agree?"**

"Of course not." Hera said softly.

Zeus scowled at her.

Leo tossed a screw in the air before catching it.

  **"No," she said. "Often I do not understand my husband's moods or decisions, but even for Zeus, this seemed paranoid. I cannot fathom why he was so insistent and so convinced. It was... unlike him. As Hera, I might have been content to follow my lord's wishes.**

"On different circumstances, yes." Hera admitted with a slight shrug.

**But I am also Juno."**

Hera winced at the sudden burst of pain in her head.

The gods briefly flickered.

**..."Juno Moneta they called me- Juno, the One Who Warns.** **I was guardian of the state, patron of Eternal Rome. I could not sit by while the descendants of my people were attacked.**

_That's surprising, considering all that hard work you did in the last war._ Annabeth thought sarcastically.  

**I sensed danger at this sacred spot. A voice-" She hesitated. "A voice told me I should come here.**

"A voice...?" Athena frowned.

**Gods do not have what you might call a conscience, nor do we have dreams;**

"Lucky." Nico muttered before he continued reading.

Leo spun the screw like a top.

**But the voice was like that-soft and persistent, warning me to come here. And so the same day Zeus closed Olympus, I slipped away without telling him my plans, so he could not stop me. And I came here to investigate."**

_But it was a trap. Figures, the one time Hera decides to do something useful, she ends up getting captured._  Annabeth rolled her eyes.

**...The cage began to constrict, the tendrils spiraling tighter. Hera's form shivered like a candle flame in the breeze.**

Hera tensed.

Zeus rubbed soothing circles in her hand.

**Outside the cage, Jason could see shapes gathering at the edge of the pool- lumbering humanoids with hunched backs and bald heads. Unless Jason's eyes were tricking him- they had more than one set of arms.**

"What are  _those?_ " Annabeth blinked. They sounded like Hekatonkheires but that was impossible. Briares was the last one.

**...[Hera]"My keepers approach, and you begin to wake. I will not be strong enough to appear to you again, even in dreams."**

**"Wait," he said. "Boreas told us you'd made a dangerous gamble. What did he mean?"**

Leo tried to look as invisible as possible as he slipped his screws in pocket.

_Please don't bring me into this again. Please just talk to Hera about it._ he silently willed. He kept his hands in his pockets.  _It was her idea, not mine._

**Hera's eyes looked wild, and Jason wondered if she really _had_ done something crazy.**

"That's one way of putting it." Athena said.

**"An exchange," she said.** Leo inwardly groaned when he saw the piqued interest in the readers' expressions.  **"The only way to bring peace. The enemy counts on our division, and if we are divided, we _will_ be destroyed. ** **You are my peace offering, Jason- a bridge to overcome millennia of hatred."**

_Bridge? Exchange? What is she talking about?_ Annabeth thought, resting her chin on her hand as she concentrated.  _I get the bridge part. She wants us to get to know Jason and build a relationship with him so that we'll be more inclined to work with the Romans. But an exchange? We didn't give anything to get Jaso-_  

Her eyes widened in realization, her jaw went slack. 

"Oh my gods..." she whispered.  _How could I forget about Percy?!_

Poseidon seemed to come to the same conclusion because he was glaring daggers at Hera.

"Are you  _insane?_ " the god hissed. "Out of all the people, why would you choose him?"

"He's our best choice. He's considered a leader of the camp and can be seen as Jason's equivalent. Why wouldn't I pick him?" Hera snapped.

"He could be  _killed_." he yelled, a few people winced at the volume. "Hasn't he already done enough for us?!" 

The demigods whispered to each other, trying to figure out what's going on as the two gods continued arguing back and forth.

Percy took in Poseidon and Annabeth's reactions and grimaced. 

"Something happened to me, right?" he asked his girlfriend. He knew he was right when she winced. He sighed. "Just tell me what it is."

She played with the ring on her necklace. 

"In the exchange Hera was talking about, she gave us Jason and gave the Romans you. You probably don't even have your memories either" Just saying that out loud, had her realize the gravity of the situation. Her new boyfriend, without any memories, in a camp somewhere she couldn't find him. 

"What's the problem?" Athena asked, as Percy and the other demigods looked stunned. "The Romans are good people, right?"

"Mother, please." Annabeth said, rubbing her forehead.

"If you want to form an alley ship with the Romans, then I don't understand why you're upset with Percy being at their camp." the goddess persisted, her form began fading in and out. "You should be excited for him. I'm sure it'll be a nice experience. They make good hot chocolate, right?" 

She turned to Leo, who suddenly found his socks to be very interesting. 

"Maybe he'll love staying at there. He's an adaptable person, I'm sure he'll assimilate into the culture easily," she seemed to consider something. "Or maybe not, you know how-"

" _For Fates' sake, Athena! Shut up!_ " Poseidon barked, cutting off Hera in her mid-shout. "I am sick and tired of hearing you screech and talk in that condescending tone of voice! Your other form's already bad enough."

Athena's eye twitched.

"Just who do you think you're talking to?" she growled.

Poseidon pretended to look surprised.

"That's funny," he remarked to Hephaestus, who suddenly found his shoes to be very interesting. "I could've sworn I was talking to Athena, bratty goddess of wisdom."

"You're only speaking up now because you know your son wouldn't last a day in that camp!"

"He could! But he shouldn't be involved in this ridiculous plan!" 

"It's not ridiculous!" Hera butted in.

"Yes it is! Your plan is a complete waste of time! Ares could've thought of a better one in his sleep!" Athena lashed out.

"I sure could!" Ares happily joined in. He smirked as he eagerly watched the back and forth.

"Excuse me?! What's that supposed to mean?!"

"ENOUGH!" Zeus boomed, the three begrudgingly stopped.

Ares flopped into his throne, looking dejected.

He gave the gods a stern glare and gestured Nico to keep reading.

_Yes, I made it!_ Leo couldn't help but do a small fist pump.

**..."I cannot tell you more," Hera said. "You have only lived this long is because I have taken your memory.**

Thalia made a face at that. "Just 'cause he's Roman, doesn't mean we'd kill him or anything."

**Find this place. Return to your starting point. Your sister will help."**

Thalia perked up.

"How am I going to help?"

"You know where Hera is, maybe you tell him?" Annabeth suggested tiredly.

Percy pulled her into a one-armed hug.

"You know I'm still here, right?"

"I know, but still... You might not have your memories," she bit her lip. "What if you're a completely different person? What if you're in trouble and I'm not there to help you?"

Percy frowned at that.

"I'm sure things will work out." he said, hoping he sounded confident. "I mean, who can forget you?"

She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Where'd you get that from? The back of a cheesy Rom-Com DVD?"

"Hey! I'm trying here!" he laughed.

**...The scene began to dissolve. "Good-bye, Jason. Beware Chicago. Your most dangerous mortal enemy waits there. If you are to die, it will be by her hand."**  

The readers froze at that.

"Who would be that strong?" Chris wondered.

**"Who?" he demanded.**

**But Hera's image faded, and Jason awoke.**

"A name would've been nice." Thalia huffed.

**His eyes snapped open. "Cyclops!"**

**"Whoa, sleepyhead." Piper sat behind him on the bronze dragon, holding his waist to keep him balanced.**

Drew scowled, but otherwise made no comment.

**...Jason's head throbbed. He remembered the factory, then a creature looming over him- a face with one eye, a massive fist- and everything went black.**

A couple people winced in sympathy.

"Ouch." Percy said with a wince.

**"How did you- the Cyclops-"**

**"Leo ripped them apart," Piper said. "He was amazing. He can summon fire-"**

**"It was nothing," Leo said quickly.**

Connor rolled his eyes. " _Uh-huh_. Killing three cyclopes single-handedly without a scratch on you is nothing. Leo, just shut up and take the compliment."

"It was awesome, just accept it." Travis added.

"I'm pretty sure anyone else could do better." Leo admitted. "I mean, it wasn't like I shot them with lightning like Jason would, or feed them to killer sharks like Percy. Heck, even Annabeth would done something cooler like stab one of them in the toe with her dagger or-"

"Leo," Katie cut in.

"Huh?"

"Just shut up and take the compliment."

**Piper laughed. "Shut up, Valdez. I'm going to tell him. Get over it."**

The Stolls and Katie nodded their heads in approval.

**And she did- how Leo single-handedly defeated the Cyclopes family;** **how they freed Jason, then noticed the Cyclopes started to re-form; how Leo had replaced the dragon's wiring and gotten them back in the air as they'd started to hear three Cyclopes roaring for vengeance inside the factory.**

"Yeah, that's nothing." Connor said sarcastically. 

Leo sheepishly smiled and shrugged.

**...It didn't exactly scare him to hear how close he'd come to death,**

"It should." Thalia muttered.

**but it did make him feel horrible. He'd stepped right into an ambush and spent the whole fight knocked out while his friends fended for themselves. What kind of quest leader was he?**

"It's not like you asked that cyclops to knock you out," Leo muttered, rolling up the sleeves of his jacket. "Things happen."

**When Piper told him about the other kid the Cyclopes claimed to have eaten, the one in the purple shirt who spoke Latin,**

Mercury grimaced at the reminder and the intense pain in his head before returning back to his Greek form.

**Jason felt like his head was going to explode.**

"That makes two of us." Hermes murmured, feeling a little lightheaded. He could really go for some Excedrin right now.

**A son of Mercury...**

Hermes winced.

**..."I'm not alone, then," he said. "There are others like me."**

Thalia frowned at that. She really wished he found some sense of belonging at Camp. 

Annabeth grimaced.  _Will Percy feel like that when he's at the other camp? Missing pieces of his life and it hurts his head whenever he thinks about it._

Percy tried not to think too hard on what his Roman camp experience will be like.

**...He told them what he'd seen, and what the goddess had said inside her cage.**

**"An exchange?" Piper asked. "What does that mean?"**

"Nothing good." Poseidon grumbled, glaring at Hera.

His sister glared back.

**Jason shook his head. "But Hera's gamble is _me._ Just by sending me to Camp Half-Blood, I have a feeling she broke some kind of rule, something that could blow up in a big way-"**

The readers tensed.

"Or everything could work out great and we'll live happily ever after!" Leo added cheerfully.

Hades snorted.

Some of the readers gave him looks of disbelief.

**..."That bit about the sleeping enemy- that sounds like the lady Leo told us about."**

**Leo cleared his throat. "About that... she kind of appeared to me in Detroit, in a pool of Porta-Potty sludge."**

**Jason wasn't sure he'd heard that right. "Did you say... Porta-Potty?"**

Imagining the look on Jason's face, Travis couldn't help but snicker.

**"That bit about the sleeping enemy- that sounds like the lady Leo told us about."**

**Leo cleared his throat. "About that... she kind of appeared to me in Detroit, in a pool of Porta-Potty sludge."**

**Jason wasn't sure he'd heard that right. "Did you say... Porta-Potty?"**

Imagining the look on Jason's face, Travis snickered.

**..."I don't know if she's completely unkillable," he said, "but she cannot be defeated by toilet seats. I can vouch for that. She wanted me to betray you guys, and I was like, "Pfft, right, I'm going to listen to a face in potty sludge."**

Apollo, Hermes, and the Stolls laughed at that.

"Well I wasn't!" Leo said, laughing with them.

**..."What's wrong?" he asked.**

**[Piper]"I just... Why are they toying with us? Who is this lady, and how is she connected to Enceladus?"**

"She slipped up." Annabeth noticed.

"Maybe she'll come clean after?" Mitchell hoped.

**"Enceladus?" Jason didn't think he'd heard that name before.**

**"I mean..." Piper's voice quavered. "That's one of the giants. Just one of the names I could remember."**

Aphrodite sighed.  _She was so close to telling him the last time too._

**...Leo scratched his head. "Well, I dunno about Enchiladas-"**

"It's pronounced 'en SELL a dus', not 'en sell AH dus'." Athena corrected him.

"Right." Leo said, brushing off his jacket.

**"Enceladus," Piper corrected.**

**"Whatever. But Old Potty Face mentioned another name. Propose Fear, or something?"**

"Poor-FY-ree-on." Athena corrected again.

Poseidon rolled his eyes.

"It doesn't matter how you pronounce them," the god told Leo. "They aren't important enough to get their names right anyway."

"Oh, um... thanks?" Leo replied, unsure.

" _No,_ it is important." Athena insisted. "How are people supposed to know who you're talking about!"

"Piper knew what he meant. You're just a nitpicker." Poseidon dismissed.

Athena narrowed her eyes.

Nico continued before things could escalate.

**"Porphyrion?" Piper asked. "He was the giant king, I think."**

Poseidon gestured towards the book as if to say:  _There, you see?_

**Jason envisioned that dark spire in the old reflecting pool- growing larger as Hera got weaker.**

Hera shuddered.

**"Heroes and gods had to work together," Jason said. "That's what Hera told me."**

**"Kind of hard to do," Leo grumbled, "if the gods won't even talk to us."**

Some of the demigods exchanged grim expressions.

"He and Percy have a point, Dad." Apollo said, shrinking back when his father sent him a glare.

**They flew west, and Jason became lost in his thoughts- all of them bad...A crescent of skyscrapers lined the shore. Behind them, stretching out to the western horizon, was a vast grid of snow-covered neighborhoods and roads.**

**"Chicago," Jason said.**

**He thought about what Hera had said in his dream. His worst mortal enemy would be waiting here. If he was going to die, it would be by her hand.**

Thalia gulped.

**"One problem down," Leo said. "We got here alive. Now, how do we find the storm spirits?"**

**Jason saw a flash of movement below them...The thing spiraled toward the skyscrapers, weaving and changing shape- and just for a moment it became the smoke figure of a horse.**

"That was quick." Chris commented.

**"How about we follow that one," Jason suggested, "and see where it goes?"**

"Finished." Nico said. "Does anybody want to read next?"

"I'll do it." Jake said, taking the book.

" **Jason XXVI** ," Jake read.


	27. Jason XXVI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!
> 
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3.Leo's from the timeline inbetween HoH and BoO.

" **Jason XXVI** ," Jake read out loud.

**Jason was afraid they'd lose their target. The ventus moved like... well, like the wind.**

Thalia smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Good one!" Leo snickered.

**"Speed up!" he urged.**

**"Bro," Leo said, "if I get any closer, he'll spot us. Bronze dragon ain't exactly a stealth plane."**

**"Slow down!" Piper yelped.**

"Speed up, slow down, what do you want me to do?" the son of Hephaestus muttered, searching through his tool belt.

**The storm spirit dove into the grid of the downtown streets. Festus tried to follow, but his wingspan was way too wide. His left wing clipped the edge of a building, slicing off a stone gargoyle before Leo pulled up.**

"Nice driving!" Clarisse called out. 

Chris chuckled in response.

"Thanks! Not bad for someone without a license, huh?" Leo cheerfully replied.

 **...After a few minutes, Jason spotted the storm spirit again, zipping through the street** **s with no apparent purpose- blowing over pedestrians, ruffling flags, making cars swerve.**

**"Oh great," Piper said. "There's two."**

**...A second _ventus_  blasted around the corner of the Fenaissance Hotel and linked up with the first.**   **  
**

"Guess this is where they all hang out." Chris said.

"Or breeze through!" Leo joked, earning groans from some of the other readers.

"It makes sense," Annabeth commented, pretending she never heard that terrible joke  _(Seriously? Breeze through?)_  "It's called the Windy City for a reason."

**...The dragons circled over a wide avenue next to a lakeside park. Storm spirits were converging- at least a dozen of them, whirling around a big public art installation.**

**"Which one do you think is Dylan?" Leo asked. "I wanna throw something at him."**

Will gave him an odd look. 

"You realize it'll just pass throw him, right?" he asked him.

Leo waved a dismissive hand. "Details."

"I think it's more than that." Jake commented before he continued reading.

**But Jason focused on the art installation. The closer they got to it, the faster his heart beat. It was just a public fountain, but it was unpleasantly familiar.**

The demigods frowned.

"Uh... why?" Connor asked, looking around at the others as if they knew the answer.

**Two five-story monoliths seemed to be built of video screens, flashing the combined image of a giant face that spewed water into the pool. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but it looked like a hightech, super-sized version of that ruined reflecting pool he'd seen in his dreams, with those two dark masses jutting from either end.**

The readers tensed.

Hera shuddered.

**As Jason watched, the image on the screens changed to a woman's face with her eyes closed.**

"Why is it showing them that?" Katie asked with a shiver.

Leo shrugged. 

"To scare us off?" he suggested, fanning himself with a protractor.

**Then the screens went dark. The venti swirled together into a single funnel cloud...They got to [the fountain's] its center, popped off a drain cover, and disappeared underground.**

"What are they going underground for?" Percy frowned. "That's the last place I would expect them to go."

"That could be where their mistress is," Annabeth pointed out. "But I don't know how they're going to follow them with the dragon. Even if he turns into a carry-on bag, he still would be hard to travel around with."

**"Did they just go down a drain?" Piper asked. "How are we supposed to follow them?"**

**"Maybe we shouldn't," Leo said. "That fountain thing is giving me seriously bad vibes. And aren't we supposed to, like, beware the earth?"**

"Don't really have much of a choice." Annabeth sighed.

**..."Put us down in that park," [Jason] he suggested. "We'll check it out on foot."**

**Festus landed in an open area between the lake and skyline...The dragon's hot metal feet** **hissed as they touched down. Festus flapped his wings unhappily and shot fire into the sky, but there was no one around to notice...**

**They dismounted, and Festus the dragon stomped his feet. One of his ruby eyes flickered, so it looked like he was blinking.**

**"Is that normal?" Jason asked** , unknowingly voicing what was on everyone's minds.

"That's an easy fix." Leo said, twirling the protractor on his finger.

"But will you have time to get that done?" Nyssa asked. 

"Yeah I take care of it."

 **Leo pulled a rubber mallet from his tool bag. He whacked the dragon's bad eye, and the light went back to normal.** Jake blinked before looking up at his brother.

" _That's_ how you fixed it? By just hitting it's head?" he asked incredulously.

 "Some things don't need a lot of effort to fix." Leo pointed out. "It's kinda like when you have a bag a chips stuck in a vending machine."

"I don't think you should compare those two." Nico said.

  **"Yes," Leo said. "Festus can't hang around here, though, in the middle of the park. They'll arrest him for loitering.**

"Or tow him for illegal parking." Connor snickered.

**He rummaged in his tool belt, but came up with nothing.**

**"Too specialized?" he guessed.**

_But Legos are no problem?_ Annabeth thought, bewildered.

**"Okay, give me a safety whistle. They got that in lots of machine shops."**

**This time, Leo pulled out a big plastic orange whistle. "Coach Hedge would be jealous! Okay, Festus, listen." Leo blew the whistle. The shrill sound probably rolled all the all the way across Lake Michigan. "You hear that, come find me, okay? Until then, you fly wherever you want. Just try not to barbecue the any pedestrians."**

Nico frowned.

"Hey, relax! I'm just joking!" Leo assured with a grin.

**The dragon snorted- hopefully in agreement. Then he spread his wings and launched into the air.**

**Piper took a step and winced. "Ah!"**

Aphrodite immediately straightened in her throne.

"It's her ankle. The ambrosia probably wore off." Apollo said.

Will and Aphrodite simultaneously grimaced.  _Great._

**"Your ankle?" Jason felt bad he'd forgotten about injury in the Cyclops factory. "The nectar we gave you might be wearing off."**

"Wait... Nectar?" Will furrowed his eyebrows.  _Didn't Jason give her only ambrosia? Unless..._

His head snapped towards Leo.

"You gave her more?!" he exclaimed causing Leo to yelp in surprise.

"It was only a couple sips!" the teen defended. "We didn't know she ate a whole square!" 

Leo hoped that would satisfy the blond, but if possible, he seemed more irritated.

"Okay, seriously?! If it was a small piece, I would understand, but if it was as big of a piece as Piper ate, how could the two of you not notice? How often do you keep stock of what you have?"

The son of Hephaestus stared down at his protractor, as if he was trying to calculate the right angle to approach this conversation.

"When we needed it...?" Leo shyly admitted, moving the protractor's arm back and forth. Will slapped his forehead and groaned in response.

"We were on a time limit! Even if we did run out of ambrosia and nectar -and I'm not saying that we did!- you can't exactly buy those things at the nearest 7-11."

"That's not the point, Leo." Will sighed.  _I have a lot of work to do..._

**"It's fine." She shivered, and Jason remembered his promise to get her a new snowboarding coat. He hoped he live long enough to find her one.**

_You better._ Thalia thought.  _We didn't even get the chance to meet each other yet._

**...They wrapped themselves up as best they could and headed toward the fountain.**

**...They stepped to the center of the pool. No spirits tried to stop them.**

Ares sighed with disappointment as he impatiently tapped the armrest of his throne.

**The giant monitor walls stayed dark. The drain hole was easily big enough for a person, and maintenance ladder led down into the gloom.**

**Jason went first. As he climbed he braced himself for horrible sewer smells, but it wasn't that bad. The ladder dropped into a brickwork tunnel running north to south. The air was warm and dry, with only a trickle of water on the floor.**

Grover, Thalia, and Annabeth looked surprised to hear that.

"Huh," the satyr blinked. "Not bad."

"This  _has_ to be where the mistress is," Thalia stated. "No way is a sewer ever this clean."

**"Are all sewers this nice?" Piper wondered.**

**"No," Leo said. "Trust me."**

**Jason frowned. "How do you know-"**

**"Hey, man, I ran away six times. I've slept in some weird places, okay?**

The god of fire tightened his screwdriver.

**Now which way do we go?"**

**Jason tilted his head, listening, then pointed south. "That way."**

**"How can you be sure?" Piper asked.**

**"There's a draft blowing south," Jason said. "Maybe the venti went with the flow."**

**It wasn't much of a lead...**

"It's better than nothing." Annabeth shrugged.

**Unfortunately, as soon as they started walking, Piper stumbled. Jason had to catch her.**

Aphrodite smiled at that.

Will looked nervous. 

 _Please, don't give her anymore nectar or ambrosia. Just let her rest her foot._ he silently pleaded.

 **"Let's rest," Jason decided.** Will let out a sigh of relief. **"We could use it. We've been going nonstop for over a day. Leo, can you pull any food from that tool belt besides breath mints?"**

**...Piper and Jason sat on a brick ledge while Leo shuffled through his pack.**

**Jason was glad to rest. He was still tired and dizzy, and hungry too. But mostly, he wasn't eager to face whatever lay ahead. He turned his gold coin in his fingers.**

Thalia plucked her bowstring.

**_If you are to die,_ Hera had warned, _it will be by her hand._**

_He'll be fine._ she tried to reassure herself.

**Whoever 'her' was. After Khione, the Cyclops mother, and the weird sleeping lady, the last thing Jason needed was another psycho villainess in his life.**

"Tell me about it." Thalia muttered.

**"It wasn't your fault," Piper said.**

**...** **He looked down at the coin in his palm. "I was stupid. I left you alone and ended up walking into a trap. I should've known..."**

**He didn't finish. There were too many things he should have known- who he was, how to fight monsters, how Cyclopes lured their victims by mimicking their voices and hiding in the shadows and a hundred other tricks. All the information was supposed to be in his head. He could feel places it should be- like empty pockets.**

_And that's going to happen to me..._ Percy thought, face paling. He would forget all the good times he had with his friends, the special moments with his mom, Annabeth, what would Hera want him to do to get them back? When would he get them back? It's taking Jason days to get his own memories back, what if he took longer?

 _Gods._ Percy brushed his hair back.  _I'm probably one of the seven too._

**If Hera wanted him to succeed, why had she stolen the memories that could help him? She claimed his amnesia had kept him alive, but that made no sense.**

"The Greeks would've killed you otherwise." Hera muttered.

**He was starting to understand why Annabeth had wanted to leave the goddess in her cage.**

The goddess of marriage rolled her eyes. "Honestly, how many times are people going to say that? Have you forgotten all the things I've done for you."

Hephaestus glared at her. "No, we haven't, that's why we're suggesting it."

Hera scowled back.

**"Hey." Piper nudged his arm. "Cut yourself some slack. Just because you're the son of Zeus doesn't mean you're a one-man army."**

Annabeth gave Percy a meaningful smile.

Her boyfriend sheepishly smiled back.

**...In the firelight, Piper's eyes seemed to dance. Jason had been studying them for days now, and he still couldn't decide what color they were.**

**She tugged at the little braids on each side of her head. Again, Jason thought how glad he was that she'd lost the Aphrodite blessing. With the makeup and the dress and the perfect hair, she'd looked about twenty-five, glamorous, and completely out of his league. He'd never thought of beauty as a form of power, but that's the way Piper had seemed- _powerful._**

Aphrodite couldn't help but beam with pride.  _  
_

**He liked the regular Piper better- someone he could hang out with. But the weird thing was, he couldn't quite get that other image out of his head. It hadn't been an illusion. That side of Piper was there too. She just did her best to hide it.**

_He gets it._ the goddess of love thought happily.

**"Back in the factory," Jason said, "you were going to say something about your dad."**

_Great! He remembered!_ Aphrodite's smile grew as she silently encouraged her daughter to tell the truth.

 **...[Piper] "Was I?"**   

Drew rolled her eyes.  _If you didn't look like you were hiding something before, you sure did now._

**"Piper," he said, "he's in some kind of trouble, isn't it?"**

_Com'on, com'on, tell him._ Aphrodite tightly crossed her fingers.

**Over at the fire, Leo stirred some sizzling bell peppers and meat in a pan. "Yeah, baby! Almost there."**

"Ruining the moment, hun." Aphrodite absentmindedly told him.

"Sorry."

**Piper looked on the verge of tears. "Jason... I can't talk about it."**

**"We're your friends. Let us help."**

_Please listen to Jason..._ the goddess of love pleaded.

**That seemed to make her feel worse. She took a shaky breath. "I wish I could, but-"**

**"And bingo!" Leo announced.**

Aphrodite groaned and slumped in her seat.

**...Jason had no idea where he'd gotten all the food, or how he'd put it together so fast, but it looked amazing: pepper and beef tacos with chips and salsa.**

"What can I say? I'm just that good!" Leo bragged.

Clarisse made a face at the description of the meals.

"Salsa, seriously? You really gave them salsa after the Cyclopes?" she asked, looking at him as if he grew a third head.

Leo paused as if the thought never occurred to him.

" _Oh._ " he said with an embarrassed smile. "They didn't complain, so maybe they didn't notice?"  _At least, I hope not._

**..."Chef Leo's Taco Garage is fixing you up!" he said proudly. "And by the way, it's tofu, not beef, beauty queen, so don't freak. Just dig in!"**

**Jason wasn't sure about tofu, but the tacos tasted as good as they smelled. While they ate, Leo tried to lighten the mood and joke around. Jason was grateful Leo was with them.**

Looking up from his protractor, Leo grinned.

**It made being Piper a little less intense and uncomfortable. At the same time, he kind of wished he was alone with her,**

_Yeah, I figured._ Leo's smiled wavered a bit, but his smile remained intact.

**but he chided himself for feeling that way.**

**After Piper ate, Jason encouraged her to get some sleep. Without another word, she curled up and put her head in his lap.**

This caused Aphrodite to perk up a bit.

 _Hopefully she won't get any nightmares, she needs all the rest she can get._ Will thought.

**...They sat in silence for a few minutes, drinking lemonade Leo had made from canteen water and powdered mix.**

**...But as he stared at the embers of the fire, something began to bother him. ¨Leo... about this fire stuff you can do... is it true?"**

**Leo's smile faltered. "Yeah, well..." He opened his hand. A small ball of flames burst to life, dancing across his palm.**

**"That is so cool," Jason said. "Why didn't you say anything?"**

**Leo closed his fist and the fire went out. "Didn't want to look like a freak."**

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with being a freak." Connor told him. "We're all freaks."

"Yeah!" Travis added. "Annabeth's a human encyclopedia; Percy's a walking fish with a strange obsession with blue; Nico sees dead people; and Katie grows plants!" he paused, pretending to consider something. "Okay, that last one's boring compared to the others, but she's a freak by a landslide."

The Stolls and Leo snickered as the daughter of Demeter shot them a heated glare.

"Walking fish?" Percy muttered to Annabeth.

The daughter of Athena shrugged.

"I would've said 'Little Merman,' but 'walking fish' works too."

She tried not to smile as Percy sputtered in response.

**"I have lightning and wind powers," Jason reminded him. "Piper can turn beautiful and charm people into giving her BMWs. You're no more a freak than we are. And, hey, maybe you can fly too. Like jump off a building and yell, 'Flame on!'"**

A some people laughed while Hephaestus paled at the idea.

Travis beamed at Leo.

" _Dude!_ " he said excitedly. "Can you-"

"No." 

"Have you tried?" Connor countered.

"No but-"

"Then how do you know you can't do something if you never tried?" Connor reasoned as if Leo was being difficult. 

"Yeah, at least try it before you say you can't." Travis looked like he was thinking of something before he snapped his fingers. "Oh! I know! After this, let's go up to the Big House roof and-"

" _No!_ " Hephaestus exclaimed, surprising the others with his volume. As if just realizing how loud his voice came out, he cleared his throat and said in a more subdued tone: " _No_ , that's not necessary."

 The room feel into awkward silence.

Jake kept reading.

 **Leo snorted. "If I did that, you would see a flaming kid falling to his death,** Jake gave his father an apologetic smile as the god shuddered.

**and I would be yelling something a little stronger than 'Flame on!' Trust me, Hephaestus cabin doesn't see fire powers as cool. Nyssa told me they're super rare. When a demigod like me comes around, bad things happen. _Really_ bad."**

Nyssa guiltily looked down at her shoes.  _Next time, we won't even bring up that dumb story._

**"Maybe it's the other way around," Jason suggested. "Maybe people with special gifts show when bad things are happening because that's when they're needed most."**

"That's a good way of looking at it." Percy said, he wondered if Jason learned that on his own or if Lupa told him.

**Leo cleared away the plates. "Maybe. But I'm telling you... it's not always a gift."**

**Jason fell silent. "You're talking about your mom, aren't you? The night she died."**

Leo stiffened, before forcing himself to focus on his protractor.

He twirled the piece of plastic on his finger.

**..."Leo, her death wasn't your fault. Whatever happened that night- it wasn't because you could summon fire.**

_Uh-huh._ Leo thought, twirling the protractor faster.

**This Dirt Woman, whoever she is, has been trying to ruin you for years, mess up confidence, take away everything you about. She's trying to make you feel like a failure. You're not. You're important."**

**"That's what she said." Leo looked up, his eyes full of pain. "She said I was meant to do something important- something that would make or break that big prophecy**

"Do we have to read this?" Leo said.

"I'm almost done." Jake told him before hurriedly reading the rest.

**about the seven demigods. That's what scares me. I don't know if I'm up for it."**

**...Leo poked at the remnants of his fire, turning over red-hot coals with his bare hands. "You ever wonder about the other four demigods? I mean... if we're three of the ones from the Great Prophecy, who are the others? Where are they?"**

"I'm not sure who the last two are," Annabeth sighed. "But I think it's safe to say we know who the other five are."

The other demigods gave her confused looks.

"Five?" Katie asked. "You know the last two?"

Annabeth nodded.

"We've got Leo, Piper, and Jason... That's three." she listed off. "And Percy and I make five."

Percy gawked at her. " _Wait_ , you're coming?"

Annabeth crossed her arms and looked at him as if the answer was obvious.

" _Of course_ , I'm coming. There's no way I'm going to let you go on this quest without me." she huffed. "As soon as we know where this camp is, I'm going to find you and punch you in the gut for having us worry so much." 

Percy laughed.

"I'm sure you will." he grinned.

**Jason had thought about it, all right, but he tried to push it out of his mind. He had a horrible suspicion that _he_ would be expected to lead those other demigods...**

Percy made a face at that.

"I mean, he might have  _some_ say in decisions, but I don't see him being a leader of the group. Six is a lot of people to lead on a quest."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "So what are you saying? That you should be the leader?"

He shrugged.

"I don't see why not. I led a quest with three other people before and took charge during the Titian War. I think I have more experience in leadership than Jason does, we're not even sure if he's ever went on a quest before."

"We don't know, but he does have the qualities needed to be a good leader. He cares for the members of his team and thinks about the consequences of his actions. He could lead six people if he wanted to."

"He has good leadership qualities," Percy agreed. "But I don't think those are enough for him to be the leader of this big quest."

Thalia narrowed her eyes. "You're just saying that because you don't want to take orders from someone."

Percy narrowed his eyes as well. " _No_. It's because I don't think he can handle the pressures of being a leader."

" _Oh!_ And you can handle it just fine!"

" _I'll_ be the leader!" Annabeth cut in before Percy could say anything else. She looked back and forth at the two with exasperation. "We haven't even started yet. Let's not argue over something so stupid."

The two begrudgingly stopped fighting.

**...Jason had been trained to never show fear. He was sure of that from his dream with the wolves. He was supposed to act confident, even if he didn't feel it. But Leo and Piper were depending o him, and he was terrified of failing them. If he had lead a group of six- six who might not get along- that would've be even worse.**

"I'm sure we'll be fine. I mean all five of us seem like we can get along. Things won't change with just two more," Percy turned to Leo. "Right?"

Leo glanced at the wall. 

"Right!" he said in forced cheerfulness, he tried not to think about his complicated relationship between Frank and Hazel.

Athena looked skeptical.

**"I don't know," he said at last. "I guess the other four will show up when the time is right. Who knows? Maybe they're on some other quest right now."**

Poseidon stiffened at that.

Percy grimaced. " _Geez._ I hope not. I don't think I can handle taking on a quest without my memories. What if I forgot how my pen works? What if you guys come get me while I'm on a quest?"

Annabeth tried not to think about that last part. "Even if you forget, you should be fine with your Achilles Heel."

The gods exchanged looks.

Leo frowned. "His Chili's what?"

"Achilles Heel," she corrected, looking puzzled by his reaction.  _How could he not know Percy has it?_ "It's a curse named after an ancient Greek hero who was almost invulnerable due to bathing in the River Styx."

"But the catch was that he had one weak spot on his body that could kill him if someone injured it." Nico added.

Leo blinked and looked even more bewildered. "The Percy in my time period didn't have that." 

Percy, Annabeth, and Nico stared at Leo.

"What?" the daughter of Athena finally said.

"You mean I did all that for nothing?" Percy groaned.

"But how is that possible?" Nico asked. "You can't just get rid of a curse."

"The Achilles Heel is considered a Greek blessing," Poseidon explained. "You can't have it once you go into Roman territory." 

 _Well, that changes a lot of things._ Annabeth grimaced although she couldn't help but feel slightly relieved. That Achilles Heel was a real gamble, it was almost a blessing to have it be gone and not have to worry about his most vulnerable point.

 "You've got to be kidding me," Percy complained. "Now I have no memories  _and_ I'm defenseless."

"Just try not to get in too much trouble until the others find you." Nico said sympathetically.

**Leo grunted. "I bet their sewer is nicer than ours."**

Apollo chuckled at the same time Artemis rolled her eyes.

"I hope so." Percy said.

**...It was hard to measure time, but Jason figured his friends slept about four hours. Jason didn't mind. Now that he was resting, he didn't really feel the need for more sleep. He'd been conked out long enough on the dragon.**

_That doesn't count as sleep._ Will thought, making a face.

**Plus he needed time to think about the quest, his sister Thalia, and Hera's warnings. He also didn't mind Piper's using him for a pillow.**

Aphrodite and some of her daughters giggled.

**She had a cute way of breathing when she slept- inhaling through the nose, exhaling with a little puff through the mouth.**

"Ugh! Too much information!" Leo exclaimed. "Could somebody please explain to me how knowing Piper's breathing is 'cute' will help save the future? What? Will it help Piper overcome her fear of snoring in public or something?" _  
_

"I think it's cute." the goddess of love giggled again, hugging Ares' arm.

**He was almost disappointed when she woke up.**

"Awww!" Aphrodite cooed.

**....It twisted and turned and seemed to go on forever. Jason wasn't sure what to expect at the end- a dungeon, a mad scientist's lab, or maybe a sewer reservoir where all Porta-Potty sludge ends up, forming an evil toilet face large enough to swallow the whole world.**

"Your brother has one active imagination, Thalia." Phoebe stated, looking just as weirded out.

 _...Maybe he got hit in the head too hard..._ the daughter of Zeus thought.

**Instead, they found polished stall elevator doors, each one engraved a cursive letter _M._ Next to the elevator was a directory, like for a department store.**

The demigods exchanged confused looks.

**"M for Macy's?" Piper guessed. "I think they have one in downtown Chicago."**

"Don't think that the same place." Katie said.

**...The doors slid open on the fourth floor, and the scent of perfume wafted into the elevator. Jason stepped out first, sword ready.**

**Piper joined him and caught her breath. "This is _not_ Macy's."** **The department store looked like the inside of a kaleidoscope. The entire ceiling was stained glass mosaic with astrological signs around a giant sun. The daylight streaming through it washed everything in a thousand different colors. The upper floors made a ring of balconies around a huge central atrium, so they could see all the way down to the ground floor. Gold railings glittered so brightly, they were hard to look at.**

"Is this place a giant mall?" Mitchell frowned. "What's the mall doing in the sewers?"

"What's the mistress doing with a mall?" Chris asked, taking in the description.

**In the middle of the atrium a fountain sprayed water twenty feet into the air, changing color from red to yellow to blue. The pool glittered with gold coins, and on either side of the fountain stood a glided cage- like an oversize canary cage.**

**Inside one, a miniature hurricane swirled, and lightning flashed. Somebody had imprisoned the storm spirits, and the cage shuddered as they tried to get out. In the other, frozen like a statue, was a short, buff satyr, holding a tree-branch club.**

"Alright! The storm spirits are all in one space!" Travis grinned.

"They even found Coach Hedge!" Connor added.

Clarisse rested her head on her chin. "Something's not right. This is too easy."

**...A voice said, "May I help you find something."**

_There it is._ Clarisse dryly thought. 

The readers exchanged looks.

**A woman had just _appeared_ in front of them.**

"There's the mistress." the daughter of Ares said.

"Where did she come from?" Chris wondered. "Is she some kind of minor goddess?"

She shrugged in response.

**She wore an elegant black dress with diamond jewelry, she looked like a retired fashion model- maybe fifty years old, though it was hard for Jason to judge. Her long dark hair swept over one shoulder, and her face was gorgeous in that surreal supermodel way- thin and haughty and cold, not quite human. With their long red-painted nails, her fingers looked more like talons.**

"Other than the nails, she doesn't sound very tough without the storm spirits. Maybe they could overpower her?" Connor suggested.

**She smiled. "I'm so happy to see new customers. How may I help you?"**

**Leo glanced at Jason like, _All yours._**

"Thanks for the help." Thalia said sarcastically.

"I'm not a smooth-talker like Jason is." Leo shrugged.

**"Um," Jason started, "is this your store?"**

**The woman nodded. "I found it abandoned, you know. I understand so many stores are these days. I decided it would make the perfect place. I love collecting tasteful objects, helping people, and offering quality goods at a reasonable price. So this seems a good... how do you say... first acquisition in this country."**

A few people looked confused by her words.

**She spoke with a pleasing accent, but Jason couldn't guess where from. Clearly she wasn't hostile, though. Jason started to relax. Her voice was rich and exotic. Jason wanted to hear more.**

"What's wrong with him?" Thalia asked worriedly.

"I dunno, it sounds like he's being hypnotized or something." Percy said.

Aphrodite, recognizing the signs, gasped. "She's charmspeaking him!"

"Is there anyway Leo and Piper can snap him out of it?" Will asked.

Leo sheepishly smiled. 

"Um...  _yeah,_ about that..."

"Is there any way Piper can snap them out of it?" Will asked without missing a beat.

"She could if her charmspeak is more powerful than this woman's."  _But she's not that confident in her power yet._ Aphrodite frowned.

"So they're as good as dead." Drew said.

 **"I am... new," the woman agreed. "I am the Princess of Colchis.** **My friends call me Your Highness.**

"What kind of friends are those?" Percy couldn't help but ask.

**Now, what are you looking for?"**

**...Piper poked him in the ribs. "Jason..."**

**"Um, right. Actually, Your Highness..." he pointed to the glided cage on the first floor. "That's our friend down there, Gleeson Hedge. The satyr. Could we... have him back, please?"**

**"Of course!" the princess agreed immediately. "I would love to show you my inventory.**

"That's not what he asked." Annabeth picked up.

**First, may I have your names?"**

"Jay, don't." Thalia muttered. "Remember what Hera warned you."

**Jason hesitated. It seemed like a bad idea to give out their names. A memory tugged at the back of his mind- something Hera had warned him about, but it seemed. On the other hand, Her Highness was on the verge of cooperating. If they could get what they wanted without a fight, that would be better.**

"If you say so." Ares scoffed.

**...Piper started to say, "Jason, I wouldn't-"**

_At least Piper's not effected._ Thalia thought. 

**"This is Piper," he said. "This is Leo. I'm Jason."**

**The princess fixed his eyes on him and, just for a moment, her face literally glowed, blazing with so much anger, Jason could see her skull beneath her skin.**

The demigods froze.

"What was  _that?_ " Grover shuddered.

"Did her head seriously just do that? Or was that just the charmspeak messing with Jason's brain?" Travis said.

Annabeth racked her brain as she tried to figure out who this mystery woman was.  _Whoever she is, she doesn't like the name 'Jason' that's for sure._

**Jason's mind was getting blurrier, but he knew something didn't seem right. Then the moment passed, and Her Highness looked like a normal elegant woman again, with a cordial smile and soothing voice.**

**"Jason. What an interesting name," she said, her eyes as cold as the Chicago wind. "I think we'll have to make a special deal for you.**

"What does that mean?" Thalia gulped.

**Come, children. Let's go shopping."**

"Finished!" Jake concluded. "Does anybody else want to read?"

"I'll do it." Clarisse said, taking the book.

" **Piper XXVII** ," she began.


	28. Piper XXVII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!
> 
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3.Leo's from the timeline inbetween HoH and BoO.

" **Piper XXVII** ," Clarisse read.

Having a feeling on what this chapter's going to have, Leo grimaced.  _I hope I didn't act too stupid._

**Piper wanted to run for the elevator.**

**Her second choice: attack the weird princess now, because she was sure a fight was coming.**

Ares smiled eagerly at that.

**The way the lady's face glowed when she'd heard Jason's name had been bad enough. Now Her Highness was smiling like nothing had happened, and Jason and Leo didn't seem to think anything was wrong.**

**The princess gestured toward the cosmetics counter. "Shall we start with the potions?"**

**"Cool," Jason said.**

"What's she even going to do to them now that they're in her control?" Chris muttered.

Leo tossed the protractor in the air before catching it.

**"Guys," Piper interrupted, "we're here to get the storm spirits and Coach Hedge. If this- _princess_ \- is really our friend-"**

**"Oh, I'm better than a friend, my dear,"**

A few people raised an eyebrow at this.

**Her Highness said. "I'm a saleswoman."**

A couple people rolled their eyes at this.

**Her diamonds and sparkled, and her eyes glittered like a snake's- cold and dark.**

"Snakes aren't that bad." Hermes muttered.

_Speaking of snakes, we've been sitting around here forever doing nothing, I'm bored! And hungry! Can I have a rat?_ George whined in Hermes' head.

_Be quite, George!_ Martha scolded.  _By the way, Lord Hermes, Iris is requesting you to deliver four cargo bins of wind chimes and dream catchers._

_Do you think if we deliver that to her quick enough, she'll give us a big juicy rat as a tip?_  George eagerly inquired.

_Do you always have to talk about food?_ Martha asked, voice full of annoyance.

_Not when I'm eating a rat!_

"Wind chimes and dream catchers? What does Iris want with... Never mind, I'll find out later." Hermes muttered, turning the phone on vibrate.

The cell phone vibrated in protest at this before Hermes warned. "Stop that or I'll put you on silent."

**"Don't worry. We'll work out way down to the first floor, eh?"**

**Leo nodded eagerly. "Sure. Yeah! That sounds okay. Right, Piper?"**

Said boy smacked his forehead with the piece of plastic.  _Yeah, Valdez, that sounds like a great idea! Follow the lady who's head can literally glow in the dark!_

**...She hated department sores- mostly because she'd gotten caught stealing from several of them.**

"It happens to the best of us..." Travis sighed sadly.

Connor nodded sympathetically.

 "You're lucky you're not in juvie." Katie grumbled.

**Well, not exactly _caught_ , and not exactly  _stealing._ She'd talking the salesmen into giving her computers, new boots, a gold ring, once even a lawn mower, though she had no idea why she wanted one. She never kept the stuff.**

"I would!" Travis proudly exclaimed.

Hermes gave him a fond smile.

**She just did it to get her dad's attention.**

Aphrodite sighed sadly. 

**..."And here," the princess said, "is the finest assortment of magical mixtures anywhere."**

**The counter was crammed with bubbling beakers and smoking vials on tripods. Lining the display shelves were crystal flasks- some shaped like swans or honey bear dispensers...And the smells- ugh! Some were pleasant, like fresh baked cookies or roses, but they were mixed with scents of burning tires, skunk spray, and gym lockers.**

Lacy made a face of disgust.

**The princess pointed to a blood red vial- a simple test tube with a cork stopper. "This one will heal any disease."**

**"Even cancer?" Leo asked. "Leprosy? Hangnails?"**

"Pretty sure that isn't a disease." Percy said.

"Still annoying though..." Leo muttered, tossing the protractor in the air before catching it.

**"Any disease, sweet boy. And this vial"- she pointed to a swan-shaped container with blue liquid inside- "will kill you painfully."**

Ares smiled.

**..."Jason," Piper said. "We've got a job to do. Remember?"**

**She tried to put power into her words, to snap him out of his trance with charmspeak, but her voice sounded shaky even to her.**

Drew huffed.  _Beginners._

**This princess scared her too much, made her confidence crumble, just the way she'd felt back in the Aphrodite cabin with Drew.**   

"Should've just let me come on the quest. Would've saved them the trouble." Drew muttered under her breath, before blowing the nail polish dry.

**"Job to do," Jason muttered.**

Thalia looked hopeful.

**"Sure. But shopping first, okay?"**

She sighed loudly in disappointment.

"Maybe she could try slapping him or something? If her charmspeak won't work, what else can she do?" Thalia said.

**The princess beamed at him. "Then we have potions for resisting fire-"**

**"Got that covered," Leo said.**

"Way to go giving away your secret weapon." Leo rolled his eyes.  _Just don't speak for the rest of the chapter._

He put his protractor aside and searched through his tool belt.

**"Indeed?" The princess studied Leo's face more closely. "You don't appear to be wearing my trademark sunscreen...**

"Oh!" Annabeth gasped. " _Her?_ "  _How is she still alive after all these years? She's not immortal... Unless..._

She grabbed her necklace.  _The Doors of Death are open to mortals too?_

Annabeth hadn't even considered it before, but now that there was a possibility of evil mortals coming through with monsters, she couldn't help but wonder:

_How exactly can we defeat them? They're human beings._ she thought.  _Our weapons are practically useless, the Celestial Bronze will just pass through them and I don't see these guys just letting us go without a fight..._

The daughter of Athena frowned.  _We have to find a way to close these doors before things get too out of hand._

**but no matter. We also have potions that cause blindness, insanity, sleep, or-"**

**"Wait." Piper was still staring at the red vial. "Could that potion cure lost memory?"**

Coming out of her thoughts, Annabeth blinked with interest.

"Would that even work?" she asked. "I mean, losing memories isn't the same thing as having them stolen."

Will considered the idea. "I don't think so, it's not like the potion can retrieve memories that were buried or recover memories that had been wiped. There's nothing in his head of the potion to help him remember."

"Knowing our luck, the potion would probably make Jason dissolve..." Thalia muttered.

**...Piper tried to keep her expression neutral, but if that vial could cure Jason's memory...**

**Do I really want that? she wondered.**

**...What if Jason found out that he was their enemy, or something?**

The demigods hesitated.

"I mean... that is a good question." Chris ventured. "What if he isn't the same person? He's fine now and he seems to be getting used to Greek terms, but what if he remembers he hates us? What'll we do then?"

"He won't." Thalia scowled. "Jason's not that type of person."

"Hera can't keep his memories forever." Annabeth pointed out. "Besides, he's the only one who would know where the Roman Camp is."

**...He might have a girlfriend wherever he came from.**

Members of Cabin Ten dramatically gasped.

"Oh my gods!" Lacy said. "I didn't even think about that! What's Piper going to do?"

"Nothing, obviously." Drew said. "She shouldn't even be dating his kind anyway."

**It doesn't matter, she decided,** **which kind of surprised her.**

Lacy also looked surprised by that.

**Jason always looked so anguished when he tried to remember things. Piper hates seeing him that way. She wanted to help him because she cared about him, even if that meant losing him.**

" _Awww!_ " Lacy cooed.

"They're so good together..." Aphrodite sighed happily.

Drew scowled and rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Leo pulled out a ruler. He tapped out a beat on the wall.

**..."How much?" Piper asked.**

**The princess got a faraway look in her eyes. "Well, now... The price is always tricky. I love helping people. Honestly, I do.**

"If that wasn't a lie than I don't know what is." Hermes said.

**And I always keep my bargains, but sometimes people try to cheat me." Her gaze drifted to Jason.** **"Once, for instance, I met a handsome young man who wanted treasure from my father's kingdom. We made a bargain, and I promised to help him steal it."**

"From her own father." Hestia said disapprovingly.

**"From your own dad?" Jason still looked half in a trance, but the idea seemed to bother him.**

"Maybe if they find out who she really is, that'll break her control over them." Annabeth said thoughtfully.

**"Oh, don't worry," the princess said. "I demanded a high price. The young man had to take me away with him. He was quite good-looking, dashing, strong..." She looked at Piper. "I'm sure, my dear, you understand how one might be attracted to such a hero, and want to help him."**

**Piper tried to control her emotions, but she probably blushed. She got the creepiest feeling the princess could read her thoughts.**

"No, she's probably just really good at reading body language." Aphrodite corrected. "It comes in handy when being a charmspeaker."

**She also found the princess's story disturbingly familiar...but this woman couldn't be the one she was thinking of.**

"If you're thinking what I'm thinking, than sadly she is." Annabeth muttered.  _No wonder why Hera called this mistress dangerous._

**"At any rate," Her Highness continued, "my hero had to do many impossible tasks, and I'm not bragging when I say he couldn't have done them without me. I betrayed my own family to win the hero his prize. And still he cheated me of my payment."**

"He did that? Even after what she did?" Percy frowned, feeling a bit sympathetic. 

"Don't feel too bad for her," Annabeth told him. "She murdered her own sons to get back at him."

Percy's head turned so quickly, she was surprised he didn't get whiplash. 

"Huh?!" he exclaimed. 

"That's Medea, Jason's- the original Jason's- ex-wife," Annabeth explained. "She was a mortal but she was a strong sorcerer."

Percy frowned at that.

"If she's mortal  _and_ a powerful sorcerer, how are they going to defeat her? Piper's already having trouble with Medea's charmspeak, what if she uses one of those potions?"

"I don't know," Annabeth admitted. "Hopefully Leo and Jason can snap out of it before it's too late."

**"Cheated?" Jason frowned...**

**"That's messed up," Leo said.**

**Her Highness patted his cheek affectionately.**

Hephaestus scowled.

**"I'm sure you don't need to worry, Leo. You seem honest. You would always pay a fair price, wouldn't you?"**

"Don't remind me." Leo said, moving the ruler from hand to hand. "If I wasn't so honest or fair, I wouldn't be in this mess right now."

**Leo nodded. "What were we buying again? I'll take two."**

"Shut up, zombified me."

**Piper broke in: "So, the vial, Your Highness- how much?"**

**..."Would you give anything for it, my dear?" the princess asked. "I sense that you would."**

**The words washed over Piper as powerfully as a good surfing wave... She wanted to pay any price. She wanted to say yes.**

The readers tensed, except Dionysus who loudly yawned.

"Charmspeakers can't control other charmspeakers, right?" Chris asked.

"It's hard to do, but it is possible." Lacy replied, looking nervous.

**...She summoned all her willpower. "No, I won't pay _any_ price. But a fair price, maybe. After that, we need to leave. Right, guys?"**

The readers relaxed.

"Even if she gets the potion, she still can't leave with Coach and the storm spirits." Clarisse said. "Who knows how much all that's going to cost."

"It's not even like she can shoplift it either." Connor added. "I don't see this lady as the type who just calls the police."

"Yeah, she's probably one of those people who follow you around the store to make sure you don't take anything." Travis rolled his eyes and sighed. "I don't mind them sometimes because I like a challenge, but I'm not always there to steal a candy bar."

**Just for a moment, her words seemed to have some effect. The boys looked confused.**

**"Leave?" Jason said.**

**"You mean... after shopping?" Leo asked.**

"Pretty sure it'd be too late by then." Leo said dryly, balancing the ruler on his arm.

**..."Impressive," the princess said. "Not many people could resist my suggestions. Are you a child of Aphrodite, my dear? Ah, yes- I should have seen it.**

"It's an easy thing to miss if you don't know what you're looking for." Aphrodite said with a shrug.

**No matter. Perhaps we should shop a while longer before you decide to buy, eh?"**

**..."Now, boys." She turned to Jason and Leo. Her voice was so much more powerful than Piper's, so full of confidence, Piper didn't stand a chance. "Would you like to see more?"**

**"Sure," Jason said.**

**"Okay," Leo said.**

**"Excellent," the princess said. "You'll need all the help you can get if you're to make it to the Bay Area."**

That threw the demigods off guard.

"The Bay Area?" Katie said with a frown. "Why would she want them to go there?"

**She thought about her dream of the mountaintop- the scene. Enceladus had shown her, a place she knew, where she was supposed to betray her friends in two days.**

**"The Bay Areas?" Piper said. "Why the Bay Area?"**

**The princess smiled. "Well, that's where they'll die, isn't it?"**

"Of course she'd be working for the giants," Percy groaned. "Why else would she be wanting to kill them?" 

"Please tell me you heard that," Thalia pleaded with Leo.

Leo sheepishly smiled. "Sorry, I was too busy thinking about trying on some of the hats."

" _Great._ " the daughter of Zeus said sarcastically.

**Then she led them toward the escalators, Jason and Leo still looking excited to shop.**

"Finished." Clarisse said, holding out the book. "Who's next?"

Phoebe shrugged. "I'll do it."

" **Piper XXVIII** ," the hunter read, after sitting.


	29. Piper XXVIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!
> 
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3.Leo's from the timeline inbetween HoH and BoO.

" **Piper XXVIII** ," Phoebe read.

**PIPER CORNERED THE PRINCESS as Jason and Leo went off to check out the living fur coats**. **  
**

**"You want them shopping for their deaths?" Piper demanded.**

"Pretty much," Percy said. "I mean, that's what it sounds like to me. I'm surprised they're not dying from boredom."

"Normally I would've, especially with the clothes, but the other things she had in the mall were pretty cool." Leo admitted. "I just wish that she wasn't the one selling them."

**...Leo laughed as he tried on a hat that seemed to be made from enchanted raccoon fur. Its ringed tail twitched, and its little legs wiggled frantically as Leo walked.**

The Stolls looked interested.

"How much did she say that was?" Connor asked.

"Not worth it, trust me. You're better off just taping an actual raccoon to your head." Leo told him. 

**Jason was ogling the men's sportswear.**

**Boy's interested in shopping for clothes? A definite sign they were under an evil spell.**

"If I could, I'd just let my mom shop for all my clothes." Percy chuckled. 

**Piper glared at the princess. "Who are you?"**

**"I told you, my dear. I'm the Princess of Colchis."**

**"Where's Colchis?"**

**...[Princess]"Where _was_ Colchis, you mean. My father ruled the far shores of the Black Sea, as far to the east as a Greek ship could sail in those days. But Colchis is no more- lost eons ago."**

"Eons!" Connor exclaimed. "How old is this lady?"

**...The princess laughed.** **"A lady** **should avoid asking or answering that question. Let's just say the, ah, immigration process to enter** **your country took a while. My patron finally brought me through. She made all this possible."**

"She?" Annabeth picked up with a frown. "So she's not working directly under the giants?" 

_If that's true, then she's the only one who it could be... _Annabeth gulped.  _Is she really that powerful?_

**...Piper's mouth tasted like metal. "Your patron..."**

**"Oh, yes. She doesn't bring just anyone through, mind you- only those who have special talents, such as me.**

_Did she summon more people like Medea?_ Annabeth wondered.  _How many people did she resurrect? What kind of people were they?_

There were so many evil mortals in Greek mythology to choose from, Annabeth couldn't help but worry about which ones Gaia  _did_ decide to pick up.

**And really, she insisted on so little- a store entrance must be underground so she can, ah, monitor my clientele; and a favor now and then.**

" _Sssoooo,_ that means she knows they're there, right?" Connor gulped. "Please don't tell me Dirt Woman's going to make another appearance."

"I hope not." Annabeth said. "'Cause now would be the worst time."

**In exchange for a new life? Really, it was the best bargain I'd made in centuries."**

**_Run,_ Piper thought.  _We have to get out of here._**

_Now._ Thalia agreed.

**But before she could even turn her thoughts into words, Jason called, "Hey, check it out!"**

**From a rack labeled DISTRESSED CLOTHING, he held up a purple T-shirt like the one he'd worn on the school field trip- except this shirt looked as if it had been clawed by tigers.**

"Of course Jason would find the purple shirt." Travis rolled his eyes before frowning. "What's up with the claw marks?"

"That was probably from a demigod who was 'too weak' for Lupa's pack." Katie said with a shiver.

"Nah, it was probably from something else." Leo said. "Like a bear or some kind of monster."

"It's not too far fetched," Mitchell said. "Jason did say Lupa would tear him to shreds or eat him if he showed weakness."

The son of Hephaestus gulped but tried not to look as disturbed as the others did.

"Oh, that?  _Pffftt!_ " Leo waved his ruler dismissively. "We all know how dramatic Jay can get, I wouldn't be surprised if he was over exaggerating."

"I hope so," Percy said. "What if Lupa tries to eat me?" 

"You'll be fine!" Leo reassured. "She's super chill!"  _At least, I hope she is._

  **Jason frowned. "Why does it look so familiar?"**

**"Jason, it's like _yours,_ " Piper said. **

"Please don't try to buy it." Thalia pleaded. "I know they mean a lot to you, but we'll get you another purple shirt."

"He can tie-dye a purple shirt back at Camp." Connor said. "It's cheaper and it'd look cooler than the first one he had."

"I bet all his Roman pals back at their camp would be  _so_ jealous." Travis snickered. 

"Do you think they have Arts 'n Crafts at the Roman Camp?" Lacy wondered.

"Probably not," Chris shrugged. "I don't think they'd have enough time to do stuff like that with how often they travel."

Leo frowned. "Huh?"

"The Romans don't get claimed at their own camp, right?" he began. "And we haven't seen or heard of them in years (at least, not that we know of). So they could be nomadic, that could explain why they travel with wolves and consider the Wolf House as some sort of sacred ground."

"Is that what you think it's like?" Lacy said. "I thought they would be like our camp, only a little different. Maybe more pillars, a couple of Roman statues, a smaller dinning hall..."

"Wow, your imagination could use more work." Drew criticized.

Lacy blushed.

"I don't know what it could look like!" she defended. "Aren't we kinda the same anyway? So wouldn't it make sense if our camps look simila-"

"No." the other demigods chorused.

Lacy ducked her head.

Annabeth stared at the wall as she listened intently to the others' theories.

"I bet their camp is surrounded by mountains or a forest, or a moat." Connor said. "They probably only have a four or five stone cabins and they're all circled around the wolf lady's-"

"Lupa's," Will added.

"Lupa's den. I don't think these guys are really into bright colors or shiny things, so their camp is probably boring and doesn't have much to look at. Well," he paused to consider something. "They might have Roman statues..."

Lacy beamed. "They would have a ton!"

"What if they live in a city?" Leo nervously ventured. "And they basically can have normal lives as demigods?"

The demigods stared at him...

Before they burst out into laughter.

_Of course._ Leo deadpanned.

"Demigods with normal lives, that's pretty funny!" Percy said in between his laughter.

_It wasn't that funny._ Leo thought as he watched the son of Poseidon struggle to breathe.

"That's not possible." Jake smiled.

"Is it?" his brother dryly asked.

"For one thing, if there was a city of demigods," cue the giggles in the back. "We would of known about it. I don't care how much mist they use, there's no way there's a camp that big can be hidden from us."

"And there would never be that many demigods in one place." Katie said, still giggling. "Do you know how many monsters that'll attract?"

"Besides," Annabeth finally spoke up. "if there was a place where demigods would live, it would be pretty small, like a town or a village. We wouldn't have enough resources and people to make a city."

She sighed wistfully.  _I wish..._

"Yeah, maybe  _we_ can't, but what if the Romans have more people?" Leo said as casually as he could.  

The demigods stiffened before forcing themselves to relax.

"No way," Mitchell said. "Do you see how often they die? One got eaten by the Cyclopes, another got killed by Lupa,"

"Or a monster." Leo added, moving his ruler to empathize the point.

"They're probably smaller than we are."

The demigods nodded and echoed their agreements.

"Yeah, there can't be more of them than us!" Travis said, forcing himself to laugh. "Dude, right now, I have thirteen brothers and sisters, and those are the ones that got claimed! There's no way that the Mercury Cabin can top that!"

Leo looked confused. "Should that even be something to compete over? Aren't you guys technically siblings t-"

"No." the demigods chorused.

"Jay and I are siblings." Thalia pointed out.

"That's totally different," Drew argued. "You guys have the same mom and lived in the same house. We didn't even know these people existed. Why should we be suddenly claim them as our family?"

"She's got a point." Chris shrugged.

_I don't think so._ Thalia scowled as Phoebe read on.

**"Now we really have to leave."...**

**"Nonsense," the princess said. "The boys aren't done yet, are they? And yes, my dear. Those shirts are very popular- trade ins from previous customers. It suits you."**

**Leo picked up an orange Camp Half-Blood tee with a hole th** **rough the middle, as if it had been hit by a javelin.**

Most of the demigods winced. 

"Why would she even be selling clothes like that anyways?" Will asked with a grimace. "Isn't that in poor taste?"

**Next to that was a dented bronze breastplate pitted with corrosion- acid, maybe?- and a Roman toga slashed to pieces and stained with something that looked disturbingly like dried blood.**

"How did she even get that?" Katie said, face turning greenish.

**...[Piper] "Why don't you tell the boys how you betrayed your family. I'm sure they'd like to hear that story."**

**Her words didn't have any effect on the princess, but the boys turned, suddenly interested.**

**"More story?" Leo asked.**

**"I like more story!" Jason agreed.**

Athena looked as if Jason's sudden lack of grammar had slapped her in the face.

**The princess flashed Piper an irritated look. "Oh, one will do strange things for love, Piper. You should know that. I fell for the young hero, in fact, because your mother Aphrodite had me under a spell.** **If it wasn't for her- but I can't hold a grudge on a goddess, can I?"**

**The princess' tone made her meaning clear: _I_ can  _take it out on you._**

Aphrodite narrowed her eyes.  _She wouldn't dare..._

She glared at the book as if it were Medea herself.

**"** **But that hero took you with him when he fled Colchis," Piper remembered. "Didn't he, Your Highness? He married you just as he promised."**

**..."At first," Her Highness admitted. "it seemed he would keep his word. But even after I helped him steal my father's treasure, he _still_ needed my help. As we fled, my brother's fleet came after us. His warships overtook us. He would have destroyed us, but I convinced, my brother to come aboard our ship first and talk under a flag of truce. He trusted me."**

**"And you killed your own brother," Piper said, the horrible story all coming back to her...**

"What?!" Lacy gasped. 

"What's wrong with her?" Will said, looking disgusted.

"How could she do that to her own brother." Hestia said sadly.

**"What?" Jason stirred. For a moment he looked almost like himself. "Killed your own-"**

**"No," the princess snapped. "Those stories are lies. It was my new husband and his men who killed my brother,**

"Still doesn't make you look any better considering you just let it happen." Artemis said, crossing her arms.

"How crazy is that? Watching your husband kill your brother?" Percy said in disbelief.

"She's insane." Leo stated, scraping the floor with his ruler.

**though they couldn't have done it without my deception.**

"Again, still not making yourself look like the good guy in this story." the goddess said.

**They threw his body into the sea, and the pursuing fleet had to stop and search for it so they could give my brother a proper burial. This gave us time to get away. All this, I did for my husband. And he forgot our bargin. He betrayed me in the end."**

"She sounds more upset that her husband cheated on her than the fact that he killed her brother." Katie said.

**Jason looked uncomfortable. "What did he do?"**

**The princess held the sliced-up toga against Jason's chest, as if measuring him for assassination.**

Thalia shuddered.

**"Don't you know the story, my boy? You of all people should. You were named after him."**

**The princess smiled. "As I said, a new life in a new country. Certainly I made mistakes. I turned my back on my own people. I was called a traitor, a thief, a liar, a murderess.**

"If the shoe fits, wear it." Hermes shrugged.

**But I acted out of love."She turned to the boys and gave them a pitiful look, batting her eyelashes** , reminding the Aphrodite Cabin and Thalia of Drew **...** **"Wouldn't you do the same for someone you loved, my dear?"**

**"Oh, sure," Jason said.**

**"Okay," Leo said.**

**...** **"Let's continue, shall we?" the princess said breezily. "I believe you wanted to talk about a price for storm spirits- and your satyr."**

"Finally." Clarisse said.

**Leo got distracted on the second floor with the appliances.**

**"No way," he said. "Is that an armored forge?"**

**Before Piper could stop him, he hopped off the escalator and ran over to a big oval oven that looked like a barbecue on steroids.**

**When they caught up to him, the princess said. "You have good taste. This is the H-200, designed by Hephaestus himself. Hot enough to melt Celestial bronze or Imperial gold."**

"Imperial gold?" Chris repeated.

"I think it's a type of metal the Romans used to mine." Nyssa recalled. "But it's so rare, not much of it can be found today."

"Wow!" Jake said, taking in Medea's description of the forge. "That thing's amazing! Do you know how much more complex weapons or materials we can make with that? How much do you think it would cost?"

"Not much," Leo said. "If you count seven years of servitude, a bit of your strength, a pint of blood, and a piece of your pinkie toe as not much."

"Never mind." Jake gulped.

Leo shrugged. "Would you believe that the forge was the  _least_ expensive thing in the mall?"

"Even less expensive than the raccoon hat?" Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

"The hat cost the most." Leo waved the ruler around like he was conducting an orchestra. 

**[Jason] "Imperial gold?"**

**The princess nodded. "Yes, my dear. Like that weapon so cleverly concealed in your pocket.** **To be properly forged, Imperial gold had to be constructed in the Temple of Jupiter on Capitoline Hill in Rome. Quite a powerful and rare metal, but like the Roman emperors, quite volatile. Be sure never to break that blade..." She smiled pleasantly.**

"Or what?" Will asked. "Is she going to answer that or...?"

**"Rome was after my time, of course, but I do hear stories.** **And over here-**

"I guess not." he sighed.

"Hopefully we'll never find out." Annabeth said.

**this golden throne is one of my finest luxury items. Hephaestus made it as a punishment for his mother, Hera.**

"So that's where it was," Hephaestus said in mild surprise. "I was looking all over for it last month."

Hera turned to glare at him. "Why would you be looking for that horrible thing?"

"Yes," Aphrodite squeaked. Her face paling as she nervously smiled. "Why would you be looking for it last month, darling? It wouldn't have anything to do with Ares and I, would it sweetie?"

Hephaestus smiled back.

"Of course not." he replied, but his tone said something different.

The goddess gulped.  _I'm so glad I got rid of that junk. It was only a matter of time..._

**Sit in it and you'll be immediately trapped."**

**Leo apparently took this as an order. He began walking toward it in a trance.**

Hephaestus's smile vanished. "No! Don't sit on it!"

"Why can't he?" Hera asked in false innocence. "It's just a lovely gift! What's the harm in sitting on it? I say, let him do it!"

"We're not having this discussion right now." the god said through gritted teeth.

**"Leo, don't!" Piper warned.**

**He blinked. "How much for both?"**

Hephaestus softly sighed with relief while his son rolled his eyes.

**"Oh, the seat I could let you have for five great deeds..."** **She led Leo into the appliance section, giving her prices on various items.**

**Piper didn't want to leave him alone with her, but she had to try reasoning with Jason. She pulled him aside and slapped him across the face.**

The Stolls laughed. 

"Hopefully that should work." Thalia said.

**"Ow," he muttered sleepily. "What was that for?"**

"Or not." Thalia sighed. "Is this lady really that powerful?"

**...[Piper]"She's charmspeaking you. Can't you feel it?"**

**He knit his eyebrows. "She seemed okay."**

**"She's not okay! She shouldn't even be alive! She was married to Jason- the _other_ Jason- three thousand years ago. Remember what Boreas said- something about the souls no longer being confined to Hades? It's not just monsters who can't stay dead. She's come back from the Underworld!"**

**Jason shook his head uneasily. "She's not a ghost."**

**"No, she's worst! She's-"**

**"Children." The princess was back with Leo in tow. "If you please, we will now see what you came for. That is what you want, yes?"**

**...She was tempted to pull out her dagger and take on this witch herself,**

"Then do it." Ares said, tired of the lack of action.

**but she didn't like her chances- not in the middle of Her Highness's department store while her friends were under a spell. Piper couldn't even be sure they'd take her side in a fight. She had to figure a better plan.**

Athena nodded her head in approval as Ares snorted.

 Leo tried balancing the ruler on his nose, but it fell.

The ruler landed on the ground with a loud  _CLANK._   

**They took the escalator down to the base of the fountain. For the first time, Piper noticed two large sundial- each about the size of a trampoline- inlaid on the marble tile floor to the north and south of the fountain.**

**The gilded oversize canary cages stood to the east and west, and the farthest one held the storm spirits...**

**"Hey," Leo said, "Coach Hedge looks okay!"**

Clarisse grinned at that.

**They ran to the nearest canary cage. The old satyr seemed to have been petrified at the moment he was sucked into the sky above the Grand Canyon...**

**"Yes," the princess said. "I always keep my wares in good condition. We can certainly barter for storm spirits and the satyr. A package deal. If we come to terms, I'll even throw the vial of healing potion, and you can go in peace."**

"That sounds too good to be true." Will said.

"Yeah," Annabeth agreed. "She's probably trying to trick them into believing they're in control of the situation."

As Clovis slept through the reading, Leo gently placed the ruler on his forehead. 

The ruler swayed side-to-side, but remained balanced.

**...She gave Piper a shrew look. "That's better than starting unpleasantness, isn't it, dear?"**

**Piper needed more time to think.**

**"We can negotiate," she said.**

**"Totally!" Leo agreed. "Name your price."**

"Leo!" the demigods groaned.

Said boy winced. "Sorry! I couldn't help it!"

"You really need to work on your haggling strategy," Athena warned him. "Or you're going to end up taking the short end of a deal."

"I know," Leo grimaced.  _I just wish I knew sooner._

He rummaged through his tool belt.

**[Princess] "...Freedom is very valuable indeed. You would ask me to release this satyr, who attacked my storm winds-"**

"They attacked first." Poseidon reminded.

**Her Highness shrugged. "As I said, my patron asks me for small favors from time to time. Sending the storm spirits to abduct you- that was one. I assure you it was nothing personal.**

"Still doesn't make it right." Percy said.

Taking out a pencil, Leo slowly put it on Clovis's nose.

It fell over.

Leo picked it up and tried again.

**And no harm done, as you came here, in the end, of your own free will! At any rate, you want the satyr freed, and you want my storm spirits- who are very valuable servants, by the way- so you can hand them over to that tyrant Aeolus. Doesn't seem quite fair, does it? The price will be high."**

" _Yeah_ , I think they should just skip the paying thing all together and just take them instead." Travis said. "Saves time that way."

"She still has to save Leo and Jason first." Katie reminded.

**"You're Medea," she said. "You helped the original Jason steal the Golden Fleece. You're one of the most evil villains in Greek mythology. Jason, Leo- don't trust her."**

"Yeah, like that would work." Drew muttered sarcastically.

Leo placed his origami on one end of the ruler.

The ruler dipped but still remained balanced on Clovis's head. 

**Piper put all the intensity she could gather into those woods...** **Jason stepped away from the sorceress. Leo scratched his head and looked around like he was coming out of a dream.**

**"What are we doing, again?"**

"Finally!" Thalia sighed loudly with relief. "Now can they leave?" 

Aphrodite smiled at her daughter's success.

**"Boys!"**   **[Medea]** **"It's true, I'm Medea. But I'm so misunderstood.**

"Just like every other monster that tries to kill demigods." Percy mentioned, rolling his eyes.

"Seriously," Leo agreed, placing a small paperclip at the center of the ruler. "Can't these guys come up with something new? Gimme more variety."

**Oh, Piper, my dear, you don't know what it was like for women in the old days. We had no power, no leverage. Often we couldn't even choose our own husbands.**  Phoebe's grip on the book tightened as she read this. **But _I_ was different. I chose my own destiny by becoming a sorceress. Is that so wrong? I made a pact with Jason: my help to win the fleece, in exchange for his love. **

"You can't win someone's love by making a deal with them." Aphrodite impatiently explained. "That relationship was doomed from the start."

**A fair deal. He became a famous hero! Without me, he would've died unknown on the shores of Colchis."**

  **Jason- Piper's Jason- scowled. "Then... you really did die three thousand years ago? You came back from the Underworld."**

**"Death no longer holds me, young hero," Medea said. "Thanks to my patron, I am flesh and blood again."**

**"You... re-formed?" Leo blinked. "Like a monster?"**

"I wouldn't say that," Nico said. "Monsters re-forming is more natural than how she came back to life."

Leo placed more small items on either side of the ruler.

**...."Guys," Piper said. "The original Jason left Medea because she was crazy and bloodthirsty."**

**...."On the way back from Colchis, Jason's ship landed at another kingdom, and Jason agreed to dump Medea and marry the king's daughter."**

**"After I bore his two children!" Medea said. "Still he broke his promise! I ask you was that right?"**

"It wasn't right, but you weren't innocent either." Athena said.

**...."It may not have been right," she said, "but neither was Medea's revenge. She murdered her own children to get back at Jason. She poisoned his new wife and fled the kingdom."**

The demigods winced.

"And there's going to be more people like her brought back to life?" Will said. " _Great._ " 

"I know, right? How much more lucky can we get?" Travis sarcastically responded.

**...."You're insane," Piper said.**

**"I am the victim!" Medea wailed. "I died with my dreams shattered, but no longer. I know now not to trust heroes. When they come asking for treasures, they will pay a heavy price. Especially when the one asking has the name of Jason!"  
**

" _Really?_ Why do all these monsters have grudges against names?" Thalia groaned.

"Tell me about it, do you know how many people want to kill me just because of my name alone?" Percy complained. 

**The fountain turned bright red. Piper drew her dagger, but her hand was shaking almost too badly to hold it.**

_Figures_ _._ Drew sneered. 

**"Jason** , **Leo- it's time to go. _Now._ "**

**"Before you've closed the deal?" Medea asked. "What of your quest, boys? And my price is so easy. Did you know this fountain is magic? If a dead man were to be thrown into it, even if he was chopped to pieces, he would pop back out full formed- stronger and more powerful than before."**

"Ha!" Connor laughed. "Did she really think that they would be stupid enough to-"

**"Seriously?" Leo asked.**  Phoebe read out loud, rolling her eyes.  _Boys._

"...Oh." he finished. 

The others gave Leo disappointed looks.

"I was being charmspoken! Com'on guys, give me more credit than that! I'm not  _that_ dumb!" Leo defended.

**"Leo, she's lying," Piper said. "She did that trick with somebody before- a king, I think. She convinced his daughters to cut him to pieces so he could come out of the water young and healthy again, but it just killed him!"**

"Wow. How many people did she end up killing before she died?" Will said in disbelief. "Seriously, this is the fifth person!"

**"Ridiculous," Medea said, and Piper could hear the power charged in every syllable. "Leo, Jason- my price is so simple. Why don't you two fight? If you get injured or even killed, no problem. We'll just throw you into the fountain and you'll be better than ever. You _do_ want to fight, don't you? You resent each other!"**

"Yeah! Fight it out!" Ares demanded, receiving heated glares from Hephaestus and Thalia in response.

**"Guys, no!" Piper said. But they were already glaring at each other, as if it was just dawning on them how they really felt.**

"They wouldn't  _really_  try to kill each other, would they? They're best friends." Lacy worriedly whispered to Mitchell.

"Normally they wouldn't..." her brother replied, glancing at Leo, who shifted uncomfortably. "But I think they're too deep into Medea's spell to have control in their actions."

_Is it sad that this isn't the worst thing I've done when under possession?_ Leo thought, brushing his hair back.

Clovis moved his head to the side and all his things scattered on the floor.

_I gotta find a way to stop getting mind controlled. Maybe I should buy a charm? Or wear a tin hat? Those are pretty easy to make..._

**...Leo scowled. "Jason's always the star. He always gets the attention and takes me for granted."**

Leo winced and looked everywhere but at anyone in the room.

"It was the charmspeak." he lied, crossing his arms.

**"You're annoying, Leo," Jason said.**

"Guilty." Leo joked, trying to play it off.

**"You never take anything seriously. You can't fix a dragon."**

The demigods grimaced.

Leo said nothing at that, he just quietly picked up the things that fell of Clovs's face and pretended not to hear that.

**"Stop!" Piper pleaded, but both drew weapons- Jason his gold sword, and Leo a hammer from his tool belt.**

"A sword versus a hammer..." Connor made a face. "Not much of a fair fight. You sure you guys can't just talk it out?"

"Maybe rock-paper-scissors? Or a coin toss?" Travis suggested.

**"Let them go, Piper," Medea urged. "I'm doing you a favor. Let it happen now, and it will make your choice so much easier. Enceladus** **will be pleased. You can have your father back today!"**  

_What does she know about Tristan?_ Aphrodite scowled.  _Does she have something to do with his kidnapping?_

**"You work for Enceladus," she said.**

**Medea laughed. "Serve a giant? No. But we all serve the same greater cause- a patron you cannot begin to challenge.** **Walk away, child of Aphrodite. This does not have to be your death, too. Save yourself and your father can go free."**

**Leo and Jason were still facing off, ready to fight, but they looked unsteady and confused- waiting for another order.**

"I wasn't eager to fight him or anything." Leo muttered, stacking Lego blocks (what little there were left after Grover's meal) on Clovis's cheek.

**Part of them had to be resisting, Piper hoped. This went completely against their nature.**

**"Listen to me, girl." Medea plucked a diamond off her bracelet and threw it into a spray of water from the fountain..."O Iris, goddess of the rainbow, show me the office of Tristan McLean."**

Most of the readers in the room exchanged looks of confusion.

The goddess of love leaned forward.

**The mist shimmered, and Piper saw her father's study. Sitting behind his desk, talking on the phone, was her dad's assistant, Jane, in her dark business suit, her hair swirled in a tight bun.**

"She..." the goddess' mouth gaped. " _She's_ responsible for Tristan's disappearance?!"

"Jane's working with the giants too?!" Percy exclaimed. "How many more mortals are involved with the giants?"

"She might not be as involved as we think," Annabeth reminded. "She could be under Medea's control."  _Wouldn't surprise me._

**..."You-" Piper was so angry she could hardly talk.**

**"Yes, child," Medea said. "Your father's assistant. Quite easy to manipulate. An organized mind for a mortal, but incredibly weak."**

"That's probably the only positive aspect about her." Aphrodite huffed.

**"Thank you, ma'am," Jane said.**

The Stolls snickered at the assistant's stupidity.

**"Don't mention it," Medea said. "I just wanted to congratulate you, Jane. Getting Mr. McLean to leave town so suddenly, take his jet to Oakland without alerting the press or the police- well done! No one seemed to know where he's gone. And telling him his daughter's life was on the line- that was a nice touch to his cooperation."**

"She  _what?_ " the goddess hissed through her teeth. She practically squeezed the life out of her armrests.  _I'm starting to think that_ _iguana might be too good for her. Maybe I should try something more out of the box? Cars? One of those Mannequins at Target? Or maybe that man on the oatmeal box?_

**"Yes," Jane agreed in a bland tone, as if she were** **sleep walking. "He was quite cooperative when he believed Piper was in danger."**

_Quakers Oats man it is._ Aphrodite decided.

**"I may have new orders for you, Jane." Medea said. "If the girl cooperates, it may be time for Mr. McLean to come home. Would you arrange a suitable cover story for his absence, just in case? And I imagine the poor man will need some time in a psychotic hospital."**

The goddess of love turned two shades paler at the thought of her Tristian in a straight jacket.

**...The image faded, and Medea turned to Piper. "There, you see?"**

**"You lured my dad into a trap," Piper said. "You help the giant-"**

**"Oh, please, dear. You'll work yourself into a fit! I've been preparing for this war for years, even before I was brought back to life.**

"So that's why she got picked." Annabeth grumbled. "She already proved her worth."

**I'm a seer, as I said. I can tell the future as well as your little oracle. Years ago, still suffering in the Fields of Punishment, I had a vision of the seven in your so-called Great Prophecy. I saw your friend Leo here, and saw that he would be an important enemy someday. I stirred consciousness of my patron, gave her this information, and she managed to wake just a little- just enough to visit him."**

"She's lucky that I didn't throw my hammer at her." Leo muttered something under his breath.

Hephaestus gripped his screwdriver tightly. The tool began to sizzle and bubble until it began melting through his closed fist and drip onto the floor.

"Ya'know," Aphrodite began sweetly, trying not to make a face as her husband wiped his hand off on his pants. "Her mall might be opening now. Maybe we should just stop by and see how things are running? I bet if we ask her nicely enough, she'll be willing to give us a sales demonstration with that old throne you had."

Hephaestus looked surprised at her suggestion before slowly smirking at the idea. "Great idea, my lovely wife. While we're there, why don't we check Furnishing on the first floor? You've been talking about refurbishing the living room for the past decades."

Aphrodite beamed at the idea.

"Oh 'Pheastus! You're always thinking ahead!" she said with a giggle.

The two began plotting and discussing what to buy for their home.

Ares rolled his eyes at them.

Percy blinked at their interaction.

"Wasn't he just planning to trap her on that same throne?" Percy asked Annabeth. "How can they be talking normally after their last conversation?"

She looked just as confused as he felt.

"They're a weird couple." Annabeth concluded.

**"Leo's mother," Piper said. "Leo, listen to this! She helped get your mother killed!"**

**"Uh-huh," Leo mumbled in a daze. He frowned at his hammer. "So... I just attack Jason? That's okay?"**

"He probably didn't even know what she said." Katie said.

**"Perfectly safe," Medea promised. "And Jason, strike him hard. Show me you're worthy of your namesake."**

**..."Jason, Leo, listen to me." Piper put all her emotion into her voice. For years she'd been trying to control herself and not show weakness, but now she poured everything into her words- her fear, her desperation, her anger. She knew she might be signing her dad's death warrant, but she cared too much about her friends to let them hurt each other.** **"Medea is charming you. It's part of her magic. You're best friends. Don't fight each other. Fight _her_!"**

**They hesitated, and Piper could feel the spell shatter.**

The Aphrodite children- except Scowling Drew- cheered at their new sister's success.

**Jason blinked. "Leo, was I just about to stab you?"**

"This time, don't fall for it." Thalia said, silently thanking Piper.

**"Something about my mother...?" Leo frowned, then turned toward Medea. "You... you're working for Dirt Woman. You sent her to the machine shop." He lifted his arm. "Lady, I got a three-pound hammer with your name on it."**

_That's my boy!_ Hephaestus smiled evilly.

**...She pressed one of the mosaic tiles on the floor, and the building rumbled Jason swung his sword at Medea, but she dissolved in the smoke and reappeared at the base of the escalator.**

"Would that sword have even hurt her?" Annabeth wondered out loud.

**"You're slow, hero!" She laughed. "Take your frustration out on my pets!"**

**Before Jason could go after her, the giant bronze sundials at either side of the fountain swung open. Two snarling gold beasts- flesh-and-blood winged dragons- crawled out from the pits below.**

**Each was the size of a camper van, maybe not large compared to Festus, but large enough.**

"Speaking of Festus," Nico said. " Now would be a good time to call him."

**The dragons spread their wings and hissed. Piper could feel heat coming off their glittering skin. One turned his angry orange eyes on her.**

"Don't look at their eyes!" Annabeth said worriedly.

**"Don't look them in the eye!" Jason warned. "They'll paralyze you!"**

"At least he remembers that." the daughter of Athena said with a sigh of relief. The last thing they needed was more complications.

**...The dragons lunged. Leo and Jason charged to intercept. Piper was amazed how fearlessly the boys attacked- working like a team who had trained together for years.**

"While you stand there doing nothing like an idiot." Drew grumbled.

**Medea was almost to the second floor, where she'd be able to choose from a wide assortment of deadly appliances.**

**"Oh, no, you don't," Piper growled, and took off after her.**

**...Down below, Piper heard the battle raging. Leo was blowing his safety whistle, and Jason was yelling to keep the dragons' attention. Piper didn't dare look- not while she was running with a dagger in her hand.**  

**She could just see herself and stabbing herself in the nose. That would be super heroic.**

The Stolls and Leo snickered at this.

"That'd be a honorable way to go," Leo joked.

**...She reached the top floor, breathing hard, but she was too late. Medea had reached the potions counter.**

**The sorceress grabbed a swan-shaped vial- the blue one that caused painful death- and Piper did the only thing that came to mind. She threw her shield.**

"Great idea!" Ares approved

"Is she crazy?!" Athena gasped. "Does she have any idea what would happen if she smashed those potions?"

"Again, what happened to her self-preservation?" Will asked in exasperation. 

"You gotta do what you gotta do." Clarisse said with a shrug. "Hopefully they'll have enough time to leave before the whole mall explodes."

"Explodes?!" Lacy exclaimed.

"After smashing all those potions and combining them together, I'd be surprised if they'd even have time to escape." Annabeth added.

"Of course we'll get out in time," Leo said. "Did you guys forget that Festus was coming? He'll save us!"

**Medea turned triumphantly just in time to get hit in the chest by a fifty-pound metal Frisbee.**

Ares loudly laughed.

**She stumbled backward, crashing over the counter, breaking vials and knocking down shelves....**

**"Fool!" Medea wailed. "Do you have any idea what do many potions will do when mixed?"**

**"Kill you?" Piper said hopefully.**

"Yeah, and you in the process." Will grumbled.

**The carpet began to steam around Medea's feet. She coughed, and her face contorted in pain- or was she faking?**

"Doesn't sound like it..." Percy grimaced.

**Below, Leo called, "Jason, help!"**

The readers tensed.

**Piper risked a quick look, and almost sobbed in despair. One of the dragons had Leo pinned to the floor. It was baring its fangs ready to snap. Jason was all the ways across the room battling the other dragon, much too far away to assist.**

_Any minute now would be great, Festus._ Thalia impatiently thought, drumming her fingers against her bow.

Hephaestus paled.

**"You've doomed us all!" Medea screamed. Smoke was rolling across the carpet as the stain spread, throwing sparks and setting fires on the clothing racks. "You have only seconds before this concoction consumes everything and destroys the building. There's no time-"**

**_CRASH_! The stained glass ceiling splintered in a rain of multicolored shards, and Festus the bronze dragon dropped into the department store. He hurtled into the fray, snatching up the sun dragon in each claw...**

"He's always so dramatic." Leo playfully rolled his eyes as the others listened to the description in awe.

**Festus flew halfway up the atrium, then hurled the sun dragons into the pits they'd came from. Leo raced to the fountain and pressed The marble tile, closing the sundials. They shuddered as the dragons banged against them, trying to get out, but for the moment they were contained.**

"Okay, I take every bad thing I said about Festus back." Percy said. "He's amazing!"

"Yup!" Leo said happily.

"He'll be useful to have for the Great Prophecy quest," Annabeth said, a few of the others nodding along.

Leo froze. The Lego tower on Clovis's cheek fell over.

"Er... He is..." he said a bit more solemnly.  _Just not the way you would think._

The readers noticed his tone and exchanged looks, but didn't press the subject.

**..."I will not be abandoned again!" The sorceress knelt and snatched up the red healing potion, which somehow survived the crash. "You want your boyfriend's memory restored? Take me with you!"**

"After you just tried to kill them?" Aphrodite said, looking unimpressed. "I think not."

"Don't even grace her with an answer, just leave." Hephaestus said, waving off the sorcerer's words.

**Piper glanced behind her. Leo and Jason were board Festus's back. The bronze dragon flapped his mighty wings, snatched the two cages with the satyr and storm spirits in his claws, and began to ascend.**

**..."You'll never survive your quest without me!" Medea growled. "Your boy hero will stay ignorant forever, and your father will die. Take me with you!"**

"They've been doing fine so far. I'm sure they'll be better off without you." Annabeth muttered.

**For one heartbeat, Piper was tempted. Then she saw Medea's grim smile. The sorceress was confident with her powers of persuasion, confident that she could always make a deal, always escape and win in the end.**

**"Not today, witch." Piper jumped over the side. She plummeted for only a second before Leo and Jason caught her, hauling her aboard the dragon.**

**She heard Medea screaming in rage as they soared through the broken roof and over downtown Chicago. Then the department store exploded behind them.**

"That ended nicely." Hephaestus grinned.

"I hope Medea's patron gave her mall insurance." Hermes laughed, Aphrodite laughing along with him..

"Finished." Phoebe said. "Does anybody else want to read?"

"I'll read," Hermes said, still chuckling. He took the book.

He calmed himself down before reading: " **Leo XXIX** ,"

 


	30. Leo XXIX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starting now, there will be (sorta) BoO spoilers, I hope this doesn't deter you from reading this chapter and future chapters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!
> 
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3.Leo's from the timeline inbetween HoH and BoO.

" **Leo XXIX** ," Hermes read.

 **Leo kept looking back. He half expec** **ted to see those nasty sun dragons toting a flying chariot with a screaming magical saleswoman throwing potions, but nothing followed them.**

The demigods sighed with relief.

"Good, if we're lucky, we might never see her ever again." Annabeth said.

Percy made a face at that. 

"The mall exploded," he reminded. "There's no way she could survive something like that."

"You'd be surprised." Poseidon said. "Sorcerers can be tricky."

**..."Good job, Festus." He patted the dragon's metal hide. "You did awesome."**

**The dragon shuddered. Gears popped and clicked in his neck.**

Nyssa and Jake exchanged nervous looks.

Percy worriedly frowned.

**Leo frowned. He didn't like those noises. If the control disk was failing again—No, hopefully it was something minor. Something he could fix.  
**

_Festus has been fine so far, he should be fine now_. Thalia silently hoped that the dragon didn't crash.

**"I'll give you a tune-up next time we land," Leo promised. "You've earned some motor oil and Tabasco sauce."  
**

**Festus whirled his teeth, but even that sounded weak. He flew at a steady pace, his great wings angling to catch the wind, but he was carrying a** **heavy load...**

"Maybe he's carrying too much." Nyssa said worriedly.

"Is there anyway to free Coach out of his cage?" Jake suggested. "That'd make the load lighter."

**"Leo." Piper patted his shoulder. "You feeling okay?"**

**"Yeah ... not bad for a brainwashed zombie." He hoped he didn't look as embarrassed as he felt. "Thanks for saving us back there, beauty queen. If you hadn't talked me out of that spell—"**

"Let's not think about that." Leo grimaced.  _Knowing my luck, she would've made me cut off an arm and a leg for a electric toothbrush._

**"Don't worry about it," Piper said.**

**But Leo worried a lot. He felt terrible about how easily Medea had set him against his best friend. And those feelings hadn't come from nowhere —his resentment of the way Jason always got the spotlight** **and didn't really seem to need him.**

Leo ducked his head to avoid seeing the others' expressions. He flicked a pencil. It rolled away.

The some of the readers looked saddened but otherwise unsurprised.

"I figured," Hermes muttered before he continued reading.

**Leo did feel that way sometimes, even if he wasn't proud of it.**

**What bothered him more was the news about his mom. Medea had seen the future down in the Underworld...That's how his mother had died—because of something Leo might do someday. So in a weird way, even if his fire powers weren't to blame, Mom's death was still his fault.**

"It's not your fault," Hephaestus said, not looking up from his lap.

"Kinda is..." Leo muttered under his breath.  _But I'll make it up somehow._

He put a pink eraser on Clovis's forehead and placed a ruler on top of it.

 **When they had left Medea in that exploding store, Leo had felt a little too good. He hoped she wouldn't make it out, and would go right back to the Fields of Punishment, where she belonged.** **Those feelings didn't make him proud, either.**

"Hopefully she doesn't reform as fast as the cyclopes did." Annabeth said. " _If_ she's dead."

"She  _has_ to be dead." Percy argued. "She was stuck in a building just seconds away from exploding, her demon dragons were trapped in their kennels, and her only way of escaping left her there stranded. She couldn't have survived unless there was some kind of miracle."

**And if souls were coming back from the Underworld ...was it possible Leo's mom could be brought back?**

Hades's posture went rigid. He gave Leo an even look.

"It's best that you don't think of things like that." the god of the dead said. "Bringing back a person from the dead is impossible. Especially for someone like you."

Nico looked uncomfortable about the topic as he twisted his skull ring.

"Well... I wouldn't say it's  _impossible_ ," Apollo said in mock innocence. "I can think of  _someone_ who can make resurrection possible."

Aphrodite and Hades glared at him.

"Can we please start reading again?" the goddess huffed. "I don't want to hear about him."

"You're just upset that he brought back Hippolytus." Apollo dismissed. "I bet if he saved your precious Adonis, it would've been a different story."

Aphrodite silently seethed.  

"What he did was unnatural, he deserved what he got and more." Hades said sternly.

Apollo gritted his teeth, he looked ready to argue that before someone interrupted.

"Who are you talking about?" Leo asked, watching the back and forth. "What did he do?"

Despite the disapproving looks from the gods, Apollo relaxed his features and gave Leo a bright smile.

"Years and years ago, before you and any of your friends were born, even before television existed," the god said dramatically. "My son and the god of medicine, Asclepius, created a potion that basically  _cures death_!"

Leo froze.  _Cures Death?_

Wasn't he and his friends in the middle of a life-or-death quest?

Apollo took his expression as a look of awe and laughed proudly.

"I know, right? I just blew your mind! One minute, Uncle H is telling you that resurrection is 'impossible' and 'unnatural' and here I am telling you otherwise!" the god said. "It should've been impossible, but Asclepius was always talented at healing. He's even better than  _me_ and that's saying something!"

"And this potion just brings people back to life?" the son of Hephaestus said slowly. He still had that weird look on his face. "They don't end up like Medea or having an extra arm growing out of their back?"

"Nope!" Apollo said, popping the 'p'. "Completely fine!"

"How'd he make it?" Leo pressed. "Are the ingredients super rare?"

The god looked thrown off by that question and Hephaestus quickly stepped in.

"Don't worry about that, boy." the god said, giving the other immortal a hard glare. "Apollo's just bragging about his children again."

"Yes," Hades agreed. "Just ignore him. The potion wouldn't work on your mother anyways."

But Leo wasn't thinking about his mom right now.

His mind raced with possibilities as he balanced erasers on either end on the ruler.

**He tried to put the idea aside.**

"That would be wise." Hades said.

"Yeah, messing with death won't work, just trust me on this." Percy warned. 

Leo absentmindedly nodded.

"I'm serious." he said more firmly.

"Yeah, that's cool." the other teen replied, still looking distant.

Percy sighed in response.

**That was Frankenstein thinking. It wasn't natural. It wasn't right...**

Hades nodded his head in approval.

 **No, Leo's mom had passed on. Thinkin** **g any other way would just drive Leo nuts.** **Still, the thought kept poking at him, like an echo of Medea's voice.**

 _Just ignore it._ Hephaestus pleaded.  _She wouldn't want you to worry about something like this._

**"We're going to have to put down soon," he warned his friends...**

**"Yeah," Piper agreed. "Coach Hedge probably wants to get out of his canary cage, too. Question is—where are we going?"**

**"The Bay Area," Leo guessed..."Didn't Medea say something about Oakland?"**

**...."Piper's dad," Jason put in. "Something's happened to your dad, right? He got lured into some kind of trap."**

_Go on, Piper! Now's your chance!_ Lacy encouraged.

 **Piper let out a shaky breath. "Look, Medea said you would both die in the Bay Area. And besides ... even if we went there, the Bay Area is huge!** **First we need to find Aeolus and drop off the storm spirits. Boreas said Aeolus was the only one who could tell us exactly where to go."**

"How are they supposed to even find Aeolus?" Travis said. "At least they have some kind of lead with the Bay Area."

 **Jason leaned forward. "You mean you don't see it?" He pointed ahead of them, but Leo didn't see anything except clouds and the lights of a few** **towns glowing in the dusk.**

The readers exchanged looks.

"Um... Did Leo hit Jason on the head with the hammer and we just never heard about it?" Connor asked. "Or is one of those clouds shaped like an arrow?"

**..."That ... whatever it is," Jason said. "In the air."  
**

"Leo hit him." Travis confirmed with a grin. He looked over at Leo expecting some kind of rebuttal, but the son of Hephaestus had pulled out a little notepad and appeared to be feverishly writing something.

The boy made a face at that.

**"Right," Leo said. "Could you be more specific on the 'whatever-it-is' part?"  
**

**"Like a vapor trail," Jason said. "Except it's glowing. Really faint, but it's definitely there. We've been following it since Chicago, so I figured you saw it."**

"The vapor trail must have been sent by Aeolus." Athena said.

"How come only Jason can see it?" Thalia asked.

"It's possible it can be because of his aerokinesis." Athena answered.*

**..."Well, it's a magic trail in the wind," Jason said. "Aeolus is the wind god. I think he knows we've got prisoners for him. He's telling us where to fly."  
**

**"Or it's another trap," Piper said.**

"Why would he try to trap them? They're helping him." Lacy said.

"He still could have a grudge against the demigods." Chris pointed out.

"I doubt it," Hermes said. "He's probably over it by now."

**..."Pipes, you all right?" he asked.**

The goddess of love winced slightly. "Really a bad time to be using that nickname."

**"Don't call me that."  
**

**"Okay, fine. You don't like any of the names I make up for you. But if your dad's in trouble and we can help—"  
**

**"You can't," she said, her voice getting shakier.**

_They can, Piper. I'm sure if you tell them they'll think of some way to save your father._ Aphrodite thought.

**"Look, I'm tired. If you don't mind ..."**

**She leaned back against Jason and closed her eyes.**

_You can't hide things from them forever..._ Aphrodite sighed.

 **...They flew in silence for a while. Festus seemed to know where he was going. He kept his course, gently curving toward the southwest and hopefully** **Aeolus's fortress. Another wind god to visit, a whole new flavor of crazy—Oh, boy, Leo couldn't wait.**

"I just love your excitement for these kinds of things." Hermes chuckled. "It's so refreshing!"

"Thanks!" Leo said, clicking his pen.

He turned to Travis.

"Hey, remember when I borrowed your phone? Could you let me use it again?" Leo smiled and held out his pen. "I'll let you keep this. It works great and has four different inks!"

The son of Hermes rolled his eyes.

"Why so you google how to make jet pack out of paper clips and blast off into the future?" he snorted, snatching the pen out of Leo's hand. He wagged it in a scolding manner. "I'm not stupid."

Leo groaned. "I wasn't going to use it to time travel, I was... Fine, if you're not going to trade then just give me the pen back."

In response, Travis clapped his hands together and blew into his closed palms. When he separated them, the pen was gone.

"What pen?" he asked, wiggling the fingers of his empty hands.

" _Seriously?_ Real mature!" 

"Never said I was." he said smugly.

Leo scowled.  _Fine! I guess I'll do research on my own time._

 **...** **His energy level was crashing. The monotonous beat of the dragon's wings made his eyes feel heavy. His head started to nod.**

**"Catch a few Z's," Jason said. "It's cool. Hand me the reins."**

  "No it's not cool, you haven't the longest." Thalia muttered.

**"Nah, I'm okay—"  
**

**"Leo," Jason said, "you're not a machine.**

"Neither are you..." the huntress grumbled.

**Besides, I'm the only one who can see the vapor trail. I'll make sure we stay on course."**

**Leo's eyes started to close on their own. "All right. Maybe just ..."  
**

**He didn't finish the sentence before slumping forward against the dragon's warm neck.**

**In his dream, he heard a voice full of static, like a bad AM radio: "Hello? Is this thing working?"**

" _Oh great!_ " Leo said sarcastically. "I got cheated out of a pen  _and_ I have to listen to this! I guess I'm just the luckiest guy on earth!

 **Leo's vision came into focus—sort of. Everything was hazy and gray, with bands of interference running across his sight. He'd never dreamed with a** **bad connection before.**

Annabeth frowned. "I've never heard of a dream like this before either."

"You're not missing out." Leo told her, crossing his arms.

She looked confused at his reaction.  _What's about to happen?_

 **He seemed to be in a workshop... A forge glowed cheerfully against** **one wall.** **It wasn't the camp forge—too big. Not Bunker 9—much warmer and more comfortable, obviously not abandoned.**

 **Then Leo realized something was blocking the middle of his view—something large and fuzzy, and so close, Leo had to cross his eyes to see it** **properly. It was a large ugly face.**

" _Oh_!" Hermes said excitedly, smiling widely. "I love it when Hephaestus meets his children! Their interactions are  _so_ awkward, it's amazing!"

"I know!" Apollo agreed enthusiastically. "They don't show them enough on Hephaestus TV!"

"There's a reason for that." the god of fire grumbled. The other gods didn't seem to hear him as they recounted former showings.

"Remember when he meet Beckendorf? They were standing there for  _hours_ trying to think of something to say!" Apollo laughed, a few people smiled at that.

"Poor kid was probably waiting for his dad to say something first!" Hermes said.

"He caught me at a bad time," Hephaestus couldn't help but smile with the others, now fond of the memory. "I was trying to set up a trap for Aphrodite and Ares's dinner date."

" _Yes!_ " Hestia joined in, laughing with her nephews. "And they ended up walking in on you two gawking at each other!"

The demigods soon joined in their laughter.

"I didn't even know what I was looking at." Aphrodite giggled. "It was just so bizarre at the time."

After they managed to calm down, Hermes gave Leo an amused smile.

"Let's see how you do," the god grinned.

**"Holy mother!" he yelped.**

A few people laughed at that.

**..."Humph," the man said. "Holy father , boy. I should think you'd know the difference."**

"Off to a great start, He-Man! Glad to see you didn't freeze up this time!" Apollo happily commented.

"Now let's see how Leo reacts," Hermes said, smiling widely.

 **Being in the presence of his father for the first time, Leo probably should've been speechless or awestruck or something.** Hermes smile twitched, he looked a little bit bewildered but he kept reading. **But after what he'd been** **through the last couple of days, with Cyclopes and a sorceress and a face in the potty sludge, all Leo felt was a surge of complete annoyance.**

Now everyone looked confused.

 **"Now you show up?" he demanded. "After fifteen years?** Hermes slowly frowned.  **Great parenting, Fur Face.** **Where do you get off sticking your ugly nose into my dreams?"** Hermes winced. He gave Leo a look of disapproval.

Apollo grimaced. " _Ouch._ "

The other gods glared at Leo for such disrespect.

The demigods looked at him in morbid fascination.

"How could you say that to  _your own dad_?" Katie gasped.

"Just spoke from the heart," Leo joked with a shrug. When he saw eyes widen, he rolled his own. " _Come on guys_ , let's not act like Percy hasn't said worse. I bet what he said to his dad made mine's look like a Hallmark greeting card."

Percy looked horrified at the accusation.

" _No._ " he immediately denied. "I would never say half the things you said to my dad. Even if we disagreed on something."

Leo looked surprised, as if he had said something weird. "Really? Not even the first time?"

"I was really respectful the first time I met him," Percy with a grin. "Like, almost  _too_ respectful."

The son of Hephaestus blinked. "Huh."

He turned to the others. "What about you guys?"

Leo was immediately bombarded with 'no's.

"You can't talk to a god like that, Leo." Annabeth warned. "It could get you in a lot of trouble."

Leo blinked again.

"Well  _obviously_ ," he said. "But I was just talking to Hephaestus. It's not like he was gonna hurt me or anything."

"It's not about that," Hera sniffed. "It's about respect."  _We'll see how your father reacts to this._

 **The god raised an eyebrow. A little spark caught fire in his beard. Then he threw back his head and laughed so loudly, the tools rattled on the** **workbenches.**

 _Of course,_ Hera rolled her eyes.  _Just let him talk to you like that. It's not like you're a god that should be respected at all times or anything._

The gods turned to Hephaestus, who was still laughing to himself.

"How can you just let him say that about you and laugh it off?" Hermes couldn't help but ask. "I would've needed a moment after hearing that."

"I deserved that." he shrugged. "Besides, it's not like I haven't been called names before."

"Wow." Apollo looked impressed. "You're a pretty cool guy, Hephaestus."

**"You sound just like your mother," Hephaestus said. "I miss Esperanza."**

**"She's been dead seven years." Leo's voice trembled. "Not that you'd care."  
**

The gods winced.

**"But I do care, boy. About both of you."  
**

"And all of you." Hephaestus told his other children.

Jake and Nyssa immediately smiled at that.

**"Uh-huh. Which is why I never saw you before today."  
**

**...The god made a rumbling sound in his throat, but he looked more uncomfortable than angry.**

"Can't say I blame you." Hermes commented. "Just reading this makes me feel awful."

 _Maybe there's a reason you feel like that._ Percy thought.

Leo took a pen out of his tool belt (not as good as the last one, but better than nothing) and began to doodle in his notepad.

**..."I'm not good with children," the god confessed.**

"You're not good with any living creature." Aphrodite corrected.

"Thanks." her husband grunted.

 **"Or people. Well, any organic life forms, really. I thought about speaking to you at your mom's funeral.** **Then again when you were in fifth grade ... that science project you made, steam-powered chicken chucker. Very impressive."**

**"You saw that?"**

"I watch all my children." the god muttered. Jake and Nyssa looked surprised to hear that. "It's..."

He looked down at the engine in his lap.

"It's easier than talking to them." he admitted.

**Hephaestus pointed to the nearest worktable, where a shiny bronze mirror showed a hazy image of Leo asleep on the dragon's back.  
**

**"Is that me?" Leo asked. "Like—me right now, having this dream—looking at me having a dream?"**

"...What?" Percy asked bluntly.

**Hephaestus scratched his beard. "Now you've confused me. But yes—it's you. I'm always keeping an eye on you, Leo. But talking to you is, um ... different."**

**"You're scared," Leo said.**

"Oh, he's terrified." Hermes told him. "Believe it or not, this is one of the few interactions that he's this calm. Remind me to give you some DVDs before you leave. They're pretty funny to watch."

"Don't give him those!" Hephaestus snapped, before a thought suddenly occurred to him. "How did you get DVDs? I never sold any copies..." he narrowed his eyes. "Have you been pirating shows again?"

Hermes quickly continued reading.

**"Grommets and gears!" the god yelled. "Of course not!"  
**

**"Yeah, you're scared."**

"Even your own kid knows." the god of thieves muttered.

 **But Leo's anger seeped away. He'd spent years thinking about what he'd say to his dad if they ever met—how Leo would** **chew him out for being a deadbeat. Now, looking at that bronze mirror, Leo thought about his dad watching his progress over the years, even his stupid science experiments.** **Maybe Hephaestus was still a jerk, but Leo kind of understood where he was coming from. Leo knew about running away from people, not fitting in. He knew about hiding out in a workshop rather than trying to deal with organic life forms.**

" _Aw!_ " Hestia cooed.  "I knew you two would get along! You have so much in common!"

"No we don't." Leo said firmly. "For one thing, I'm definitely better looking."

The demigods gawked at his response.

Hephaestus snorted.

"Can't argue with that." he grinned.

**"So," Leo grumbled, "you keep track of all your kids? You got like twelve back at camp. How'd you even—Never mind. I don't want to know."**

Hephaestus blushed and purposely looked away.

Aphrodite was madly giggling to herself and Hera gave him a disapproving glare.

**...[Hephaestus]"Gods are different from mortals, boy. We can exist in many places at once—wherever people call on us, wherever our sphere of influence is strong. In fact, it's rare our entire essence is ever together in one place —our true form. It's dangerous, powerful enough to destroy any mortal who looks upon us. So, yes ... lots of children.**

"Wait,  _that_ was how you explained the birds and the bees to your kid?" Apollo started laughing. "I was this was on tape. I would've loved to see Leo's reaction!"

 **Add to that our different aspects, Greek and Roman—" The god's fingers froze on his engine project.**  Hermes blinked.

"Are you kidding me right now? You just slipped out the biggest secret we've ever kept, in a cough-out explanation on why you have so many kids?" he said in disbelief.

"He caught me off guard."

" _You_ summoned  _him_ , you should be prepared for conversations like this! Do you know how many times  _I_ get asked?" he said before huffing. "Now how are you going to get out of this?"

 **"Er, that is to say, being a god is complicated.** Hermes nodded his head slowly, his face looking unimpressed.

"Now I see where your son gets his terrible lying from." he said plainly. He didn't even bother to confront Hephaestus about it. He just flipped the page and kept reading.

**And yes, I try to keep an eye on all my children, but you especially."**

**Leo was pretty sure Hephaestus had almost slipped and said something important, but he wasn't sure what.**

"That's just sheer luck." Hermes muttered.

**"Why contact me now?" Leo asked. "I thought the gods had gone silent."  
**

**"We have," Hephaestus grumped. "Zeus's orders—very strange, even for him. He's blocked all visions, dreams, and Iris-messages to and from** **Olympus. Hermes is sitting around bored out of his mind because he can't deliver the mail.**

"I can't even deliver mail." Hermes frowned as he read on. 

**Fortunately, I kept my old pirate broadcasting equipment." Hephaestus patted a machine on the table. It looked like a combination satellite dish, V-6 engine, and espresso maker.**

"I told you keeping it was a good idea." Hephaestus said to Aphrodite.

"That's what you say about everything else you hoard." the goddess of love rolled her eyes.

**..."But now it's come in handy again. If Zeus knew I was contacting you, he'd have my hide."  
**

**"Why is Zeus being such a jerk?"  
**

Zeus glared at Leo.

"You see," Hera pointed out. "This is why he should be respectful to you at all times. Now that you haven't reprimanded him, he thinks it's okay to address other gods in such an inappropriate behavior."

"It's not like he was saying it to Zeus's face," Hephaestus rolled his eyes. "He was only talking to me."

**"Hrumph. He excels at that, boy."**

Zeus glared at Hephaestus, who keep his eyes fixated on his contraption.

 **Hephaestus called him boy as if Leo were an annoying machine part—an extra washer, maybe, that had no clear** **purpose, but that Hephaestus didn't want to throw away for fear he might need it someday.**

"I don't mean it like that..." Hephaestus muttered.

"That's just his term of endearment." Aphrodite told Leo.

 **Not exactly heartwarming. Then again, Leo wasn't sure he wanted to be called "son."** **Leo wasn't about to start calling this big awkward ugly guy** **"Dad."**

"Really?" Percy said in surprise. "I mean, the 'dad' thing I could kinda get, but you wouldn't like him to call you 'my son'?"

Leo looked up from his notepad and made a face. 

"He can just call me 'boy'." he replied.

**...."It was the second Titan War, I suppose," Hephaestus said. "That's what got Zeus upset. We gods were ...**

"Insulted!" Zeus finished, looking pointedly at Percy.

**well, embarrassed. Don't think there's any other way to say it."**

**"But you won," Leo said.**

"Only because we had help." Artemis said.

 **The god grunted. "We won because the demigods of"—again he hesitated, as if he'd almost made a slip—** Hermes sighed tiredly.  **"** **of Camp Half-Blood took the lead.**

Annabeth frowned at that.

"Did he really mean the Roman demigods?" she asked. "Did they do something in the Titan War?"

Hermes gestured towards the girl. "See? She got it! You're not very good at hiding things!"

He sighed, drumming his fingers on the cover as he turned to the daughter of Athena.

"Since He-Man let the cat out of the bag, I guess I'll tell you." he said. "While the Battle of Manhattan was going on, the Roman demigods toppled the Black Throne on Mount Othrys and defeated the Titan guarding it, Krios." 

"So they did play a part of the war." Percy said. "We've been working together all this time and we just never knew it."

He gave the others an assuring look. "See guys, this can work out!"

The demigods exchanged looks of uncertainty.

"I don't think working together without knowing and working together is the same thing..." Mitchell said under his breath.

Athena rolled her eyes.

"What if the reason why you worked together so well, was because you were separated?" she said.

Percy frowned.

**We won because our children fought our battles for us, smarter than we did. If we'd relied on Zeus's plan, we would've all gone down to Tartarus fighting the storm giant Typhon, and Kronos would've won. Bad enough mortals won our war for us, but then that young upstart, Percy Jackson—"**

**"The guy who's missing."**

Percy's frown deepened.

**"Hmph. Yes. Him. He had the nerve to turn down our offer of immortality and tell us to pay better attention to our children. Er, no offense."**

**"Oh, how could I take offense? Please, go on ignoring me."**

Hephaestus looked pleasantly surprised.

"That's very understanding of you." Hephaestus remarked to his son.

Aphrodite and Leo rolled their eyes.

"He was being sarcastic." the goddess explained as Hermes and Apollo snickered.

The god's shoulders slumped. "Oh."

 **...[Hephaestus] "That was sarcasm, wasn't it? Machines don't have sarcasm, usually. But as I was saying, the gods felt ashamed, shown up by mortals. At first, of course, we were grateful. But after a few months, those feelings turned bitter. We're gods, after all. We need to be admired, looked up to, held in awe and admiration."**   

"Uh-huh," Percy said sarcastically. "But what happens if you guys have been making mistakes that almost got you killed?"

**"Especially then!**

" _Of course_." Percy sighed. "That's why we're still in this mess."

**And to have Jackson refuse our gift, as if being mortal were somehow better than being a god... well, that stuck in Zeus's craw. He decided it was high time we got back to traditional values. Gods were to be respected. Our children were to be seen and not visited. Olympus was closed.**

"That's basically the same problem you had before but  _worse_." Percy complained. 

**At least that was part of his reasoning. And, of course, we started hearing of bad things stirring under the earth."**

" _Yeah,_ 'cause doing nothing works." Percy muttered.

**...Hephaestus's beard began to smolder. He absently swatted out the flames. "What my blasted mother Hera is doing now—she's a meddling fool playing a dangerous game, but she's right about one thing: you demigods have to unite.**

The demigods exchanged looks.

Athena sighed.

"Not you too, I was hoping you would talk some sense into your son." she said.

"If we're going to stay quiet on Olympus, then we have no choice." the god said. "They'd stand no chance against the giants if they worked alone."

**That's the only way to open Zeus's eyes, convince the Olympians they must accept your help. And that's the only way to defeat what's coming. You're a big part of that, Leo. "**

**...."Why me?" he asked, and as soon as he said it, more questions flooded out. "Why claim me now? Why not when I was thirteen, like you're supposed to? Or you could've claimed me at seven, before my mom died! Why didn't you find me earlier? Why didn't you warn me about this?"**

Hephaestus sadly sighed.

**Hephaestus regarded him sadly. "Hardest part, boy. Letting my children walk their own paths. Interfering doesn't work. The Fates make sure of that. As for the claiming, you were a special case, boy. The timing had to be right. I can't explain it much more, but—"**

**Leo's dream went fuzzy. Just for a moment, it turned into a rerun of Wheel of Fortune . Then Hephaestus came back into focus.**

"Um...What's happening?" Connor asked. 

"Zeus probably figured out I was contacting Leo." the god explained. "Looks like we'll have to end this early."

 _I still had so much to tell him too._  Hephaestus sighed.

**"Blast," he said. "I can't talk much longer. Zeus is sensing an illegal dream. He is lord of the air, after all, including the airwaves. Just listen, boy: you have a role to play. Your friend Jason is right—fire is a gift, not a curse. I don't give that blessing to just anyone. They'll never defeat the giants without you, much less the mistress they serve. She's worse than any god or Titan."**

"Yeah," Leo muttered, staring at his notepad. "I think I get it now."

**"Who?" Leo demanded.**

**Hephaestus frowned, his image becoming fuzzier. "I told you. Yes, I'm pretty sure I told you.**

"Not really, you didn't even say the mistress's name." Hermes said. "Which is surprising considering how many other things you told him."

**Just be warned: along the way, you're going to lose some friends and some valuable tools.**

The readers exchanged looks.

Leo appeared more somber.

 **But that isn't your fault, Leo. Nothing lasts forever, not even the best machines. And** **everything can be reused."**

**"What do you mean? I don't like the sound of that."**

Neither did the Hephaestus Cabin.

**"No, you shouldn't." Hephaestus's image was barely visible now, just a blob in the static. "Just watch out for—"**

**Leo's dream switched to Wheel of Fortune just as the wheel hit Bankrupt and the audience said, "Awwww!"**

**Then Leo snapped awake to Jason and Piper screaming.**

"Not again!" Thalia groaned, visibly paling.

"That's the end of the chapter," Hermes said. "Does anybody want to read next?"

"I will." Annabeth said hastily, noticing her friend's distress. 

She took the book from the god's hands.

Taking the book, Annabeth began to read. " **Leo XXX,"**

Leo halfheartedly drew in his notes.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *~ Aerokinesis is the ability to control air


	31. Leo XXX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3.Leo's from the timeline inbetween HoH and BoO.

" **Leo XXX** ," Annabeth read.

**They spiraled through the dark in a free fall,**

Phoebe patted Thalia's arm in comfort as the hunter turned paler.

**still on the dragon's back, but Festus's hide was cold. His ruby eyes were dim.**

"What's happening?!" Thalia asked. "Is it the wiring? Did it run out of oil? Why is it crashing?!"

Nyssa and Jake exchanged looks.

"We don't know..." Nyssa admitted, rubbing her arm. "It could be because of the weight."

"Maybe fighting those sun dragons took a lot out of him?" Jake suggested.

"That's weird." Percy frowned. "I don't think metal dragons can get tired like that."

He turned to Leo, expecting some kind of explanation, only to be surprised by how serious he suddenly looked. He wasn't even twirling his pen, he just sat disturbingly still as he stared off at nothing.

"You okay?" 

Leo briefly glanced at him before tapping his pen against the notepad. Not in his usual animated way, more like he knew he should appear more lively.

"Fine." he said.

**"Not again!" Leo yelled. "You can't fall again!"**

Hephaestus worriedly frowned.

The demigods winced.

"He can't be that bad, right?" Mitchell said. "He's broken down before, Leo could fix him again."

Leo suppressed the urge to sigh.

**...The wind stung his eyes, but he managed to pull open the panel on the dragon's neck. He toggled the switches....** **The dragon's wings flapped once, but Leo caught a whiff of burning bronze. The drive system was overloaded.**

Nyssa's shoulders slumped. " _Oh._ "

Jake sucked air through his teeth and winced. _That's what Dad meant when he said nothing lasts forever._

Hephaestus glanced at Leo, who remained stoic. Other than the occasional tap of his pen, he remained motionless.

**...He saw the lights of a city below them—just flashes in the dark as they plummeted in circles. They had only seconds before they crashed.**

The readers tensed.

Thalia shuddered.

**"Jason!" he screamed. "Take Piper and fly out of here!"**

**"What?"**

**"We need to lighten the load! I might be able to reboot Festus, but he's carrying too much weight!"**

"Will that even work?" Mitchell said to Jake.

"I hope so..." Jake said with a pained expression.

**Jason grabbed Piper around the waist. They both unbuckled their harnesses, and in a flash they were gone—shooting into the air.**

Thalia let out a silent sigh of relief.

**"Now," Leo said. "Just you and me, Festus—and two heavy cages. You can do it, boy!"**

**Leo talked to the dragon while he worked, falling at terminal velocity. He could see the city lights below him, getting closer and closer...**

**He pulled a wire that he thought connected the dragon's nerve center to its head, hoping for a little wake-up jolt.**

**Festus groaned—metal creaking inside his neck. His eyes flickered weakly to life, and he spread his wings.**

Some of the readers relaxed a bit.

**Their fall turned into a steep glide.**

_Just focus on the landing and we can worry about the rest later._ Jake coached. 

**There was a big river**

Jake made a face at that.

Nyssa frowned. 

"Don't. When he sinks to the bottom, you'll have no way to get him out." she said.

**—no. Not good for a fire-breathing dragon...**

The two nodded their heads in approval.

_I should've taken my chances with the lake._ Leo thought miserably. He stared at his socks.

**Then, on the riverbanks, Leo spotted a white mansion with a huge snowy lawn inside a tall brick perimeter fence—like some rich person's private compound, all of it blazing with light.**

"Don't have any other choice." Nyssa muttered. "It's either that or the lake."

**...He did his best to steer the dragon toward it, and Festus seemed to come back to life. They could make this!**

**Then everything went wrong.**

The air was thick with tension.

**As they approached the lawn, spotlights along the fence fixed on them, blinding Leo. He heard bursts like tracer fire, the sound of metal being cut to shreds—and BOOM.** Annabeth winced.

Jake's jaw dropped.

Nyssa blinked as she tried to comprehend what just happened.

**Leo blacked out.**

Leo shuddered.

**When Leo came to his senses, Jason and Piper were leaning over him. He was lying in the snow, covered in mud and grease...**

**"Where—"**

**"Lie still." Piper had tears in her eyes. "You rolled pretty hard when—when Festus—"**

"Please don't tell me it's bad." Jake muttered, fiddling with the bandage on his arm. _Please just let it be a couple holes and a few dents. We can fix that back at Camp._

**...Leo pushed himself to his feet. Then he saw the wreckage. Festus must have dropped the big canary cages as he came over the fence, because** **they'd rolled in different directions and landed on their sides, perfectly undamaged.**

_That's one less thing to worry about._ Annabeth thought.

**...The dragon had disintegrated.**

Jake and Nyssa paled.

Leo halfheartedly tapped his notepad.

**His limbs were scattered across the lawn. His tail hung on the fence. The main section of his body had plowed a trench twenty feet wide and fifty feet long across the mansion's yard before breaking apart.**

Annabeth winced as she read.

_No wonder why Leo reacted the way he did to what I said earlier_. she grimaced. _Poor Festus was practically killed right in front of him._

**What remained of his hide was a charred, smoking pile of scraps. Only his neck and head were somewhat intact, resting across a row of frozen rosebushes like a pillow.**

"Oh my gods..." Nyssa said, looking horrified.

Jake grimaced, rubbing his temples as he listened to the description. _He's gone. There's no way we can fix that._

Shifting around, Nico twisted his ring. Although he hadn't trusted Festus, he knew how much that dragon meant to Leo. He was a robot, but there was something about the way Leo talked about him (or to him in the book) that made him more life-like. Nico wished there was something he could do or say to comfort the other teen.

"Sorry." he told Leo. He hoped he knew that he really meant it. After what happened to Bianca, he hated hearing that word, it always seemed so fake but what else can you really say about these types of situations? Was there a right way to give your condolences?

Leo took in Nico's expression before sighing. 

"It's alright," he finally said. He scribbled over one his cat doodles. "It sucks hearing this, but I'll be okay."

_I can still fix Festus. He might be a head now, but that won't last forever._ Leo thought.

**"No," Leo sobbed.** **He ran to the dragon's head and stroked its snout. The dragon's eyes flickered weakly. Oil leaked out of his ear.**

Hephaestus's shoulders slumped.

Jake and Nyssa looked depressed.

_If only we weren't so caught on that stupid curse, I bet we could've fixed him sooner._ Nyssa bit her lip.

_I bet Beckendorf would've fixed this. Now look what happened..._ Jake rubbed his temples harder. _Poor Festus is dead and Leo will think it's his fault._

**The dragon's head whirred its gears, as if it were purring.**

"He's still alive?" Percy said, looking hopeful.

"He wouldn't deactivate right away." Nyssa said sadly. 

**Jason and Piper stood next to him, but Leo kept his eyes fixed on the dragon.**

**He remembered what Hephaestus had said: That isn't your fault, Leo. Nothing lasts forever, not even the best machines.**

**His dad had been trying to warn him.**

**"It's not fair," he said.**

_Life usually isn't._ Hephaestus sighed.

**The dragon clicked. Long creak. Two short clicks. Creak. Creak. Almost like a pattern ... triggering an old memory in Leo's mind. Leo realized** **Festus was trying to say something.**

Annabeth's eyes widened in surprise.

"He's using Morse Code?" she couldn't help but ask. "How does he know that?"

For the first time in a while, Leo grinned.

"He's pretty smart." he told her. 

**...Leo listened more intently, translating the clicks into letters: a simple message repeating over and over.**

**"Yeah," Leo said. "I understand. I will. I promise."**

"W...What did he say?" Chris asked, hoping it wasn't too personal.

"He wanted to be reused again." Leo shortly replied, focusing on his drawings.

"We can do that." Jake said softly. "I don't know what he'd want to be, but I'm sure we can think of something."

Nyssa nodded her head in agreement.

**The dragon's eyes went dark. Festus was gone.**

Everyone winced.

**...Finally Jason said, "I'm so sorry, man. What did you promise Festus?"**

**Leo sniffled. He opened the dragon's head panel, just to be sure, but the control disk was cracked and burned beyond repair.**

Jake sighed.

**"Something my dad told me," Leo said. "Everything can be reused."**

**"Your dad talked to you?" Jason asked. "When was this?"**

"Now's not really a good time." Connor muttered.

**Leo didn't answer. He worked at the dragon's neck hinges until the head was detached. It weighed about a hundred pounds, but Leo managed to** **hold it in his arms. He looked up at the starry sky and said, "Take him back to the bunker, Dad. Please, until I can reuse him. I've never asked you for anything."**

"Of course." Hephaestus said.

"You called him 'dad'." Percy noticed.

Leo shrugged. 

"First time for everything." he simply said.

**The wind picked up, and the dragon's head floated out of Leo's arms like it weighed nothing. It flew into the sky and disappeared.**

**Piper looked at him in amazement. "He answered you?"**

**"I had a dream," Leo managed. "Tell you later."**

**He knew he owed his friends a better explanation, but Leo could barely speak. He felt like a broken machine himself—like someone had removed** **one little part of him, and now he'd never be complete. He might move, he might talk, he might keep going and do his job. But he'd always be off balance, never calibrated exactly right.**

Percy frowned.

"Maybe you could make him a new body?" he suggested. "You still got the head, right? I dunno how machines work, but don't you have enough materials at Camp to make him one?"

Jake and Nyssa blinked before exchanging looks with Leo.

"It's sounds like a challenge," Jake said as he slowly smiled. "But I think we can do it with some team effort."

Nyssa grinned. "Nothing wrong with trying."

**Still, he couldn't afford to break down completely. Otherwise, Festus had died for nothing. He had to finish this quest—for his friends, for his mom, for his dragon.**

**He looked around. The large white mansion glowed in the center of the grounds. Tall brick walls with lights and security cameras surrounded the perimeter, but now Leo could see—or rather sense—just how well those walls were defended.**

**"Where are we?" he asked. "I mean, what city?"**

**"Omaha, Nebraska," Piper said. "I saw a billboard as we flew in. But I don't know what this mansion is. We came in right behind you, but as you were landing, Leo, I swear it looked like—I don't know—"**

**"Lasers," Leo said. He picked up a piece of dragon wreckage and threw it toward the top of the fence. Immediately a turret popped up from the brick wall and a beam of pure heat incinerated the bronze plating to ashes.**

Nyssa and Jake winced.

"Who designed that?" Katie scowled, crossing her arms. "Are they trying to kill someone?"

**Jason whistled. "Some defense system. How are we even alive?"**

**"Festus," Leo said miserably. "He took the fire. The lasers sliced him to bits as he came in so they didn't focus on you. I led him into a death trap."**

"It wasn't your fault, Leo." Katie told him. "You didn't know the mansion had lasers."

"It is my fault. I should've known." Leo admitted. "I can sense traps. If I had been awake, I would've avoided the mansion and maybe have Festus fly over the lake or something. I shouldn't have gone to sleep in the first place. Jason hadn't slept since he was knocked out by the Cyclopes. And-"

"It's not your fault!" Nyssa told him firmly. "I don't want to hear you blame yourself over this. Whoever was the psycho who owns that house is the one responsible."

**"You couldn't have known," Piper said. "He saved our lives again."**

**"But what now?" Jason said. "The main gates are locked, and I'm guessing I can't fly us out of here without getting shot down."**

**Leo looked up the walkway at the big white mansion. "Since we can't go out, we'll have to go in."**

"Finished." Annabeth said. "Does anybody else want to read?"

"I'll do it." Grover said, taking the book.

" **Jason XXXI** ," the goat-boy read.


	32. Jason XXXI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3.Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" **Jason XXXI** ," Grover read out loud.

**Jason would've died five times on the way to the front door if not for Leo.**

"Five times?" Thalia echoed in disbelief. 

**First it was the motion-activated trapdoor on the sidewalk, then the lasers on the steps, then the nerve gas dispenser on the porch railing, the** **pressure-sensitive poison spikes in the welcome mat, and of course the exploding doorbell.**

"Where would they even buy those things?" Chris said, perplexed.

"Whoever owns this mansion, must have some valuable things in there." Hermes smirked. "Why else would they be so protective?"

"Could be because they're just paranoid." Apollo suggested. 

**Leo deactivated all of them. It was like he could smell the traps, and he picked just the right tool out of his belt to disable them.**

"I think we just found our way into the Ares Cabin." Connor told Travis, with a smirk.

Travis smirked back, his eyes bright with mischief. _Clarisse wouldn't know what hit her._

**"You're amazing, man," Jason said.**

**Leo scowled as he examined the front door lock. "Yeah, amazing," he said. "Can't fix a dragon right, but I'm amazing."**

 "He didn't mean it like that." Nyssa told him. "Don't let what he said before get to you. He was being charmspoken, I'm sure he feels bad about what he said."

"Yeah." Leo responded, twirling his pen.

**"Hey, that wasn't your—"**

**"Front door's already unlocked," Leo announced.**

"It's unlocked?" Katie said in surprise. "How could you buy all that security, but not do something as basic as locking your door?"

"They're probably really confident in their traps." Leo shrugged.

**Leo turned the knob. The door swung open easily. He stepped inside without hesitation.**

"Should you be going in there like that?" Will frowned. "You don't exactly know who's in there."

"I didn't really care." Leo admitted.

**Before Jason could follow, Piper caught his arm. "He's going to need some time to get over Festus. Don't take it personally."**

**"Yeah," Jason said. "Yeah, okay."**

**But still he felt terrible. Back in Medea's store, he'd said some pretty harsh stuff to Leo—stuff a friend shouldn't say, not to mention the fact he'd** **almost skewered Leo with a sword.**

"I tried to give you another concussion, so I think we're even." Leo muttered.

**...."Piper," he said, "I know I was in a daze back in Chicago, but that stuff about your dad—if he's in trouble, I want to help. I don't care if it's a trap or** **not."**

Aphrodite smiled sadly.

A couple of her children cooed.

**... [Piper] "Jason, you don't know** **what you're saying. Please—don't make me feel worse.**

The goddess of love sighed.

**Come on. We should stick together."**

**She ducked inside.**

"So much for sticking together." Percy commented.

**"Together," Jason said to himself. "Yeah, we're doing great with that."**

**Jason's first impression of the house: Dark.**

"Your brother has such a way with words," Percy chuckled.

"Kinda like you." Thalia said.

Percy frowned. "I'm not that blunt." he turned to Grover. "Am I?"

"You have your moments." the satyr responded before he continued reading.

**"Where's the light switch?" His voice echoed alarmingly through the room.**

**"Don't see one," Leo said.**

"No kidding." Clarisse said sarcastically.

**"Fire?" Piper suggested.**

**Leo held out his hand, but nothing happened. "It's not working."**

The readers frowned at this.

"How does your powers not work in the room?" Annabeth asked the son of Hephaestus.

"I dunno." he replied. "I think the mansion had some kind of fire repression on the walls."

Connor let out a low whistle.

"High tech security _and_ fire-proof mansion? This guy must be loaded."

"Wonder what they've got lying around their house." Travis smirked. "You guys should go have a look around."

"After what happened with the Cyclopes? No. They should just stay where they are." Will said firmly.

"Yeah, who knows what kinds of traps are planted in the mansion." Katie agreed.

**Jason's skin tingled. He hated being a demigod.**

"Join the club." Percy muttered.

**Looking around, he didn't see a comfortable room to hang out in. He imagined vicious storm spirits** **lurking in the curtains, dragons under the carpet, a chandelier made of lethal ice shards, ready to impale them.**

"He's more paranoid than the owner." Hermes joked.

"Speaking of the owner," Hades said. "Where are they? They must've realized by now that they have unwanted visitors."

**"Leo's right," he said. "We're not separating again—not like in Detroit."**

**...."It's a few hours until dawn," Jason guessed. "Too cold to wait outside. Let's bring the cages in and make camp in this room. Wait for daylight; then** **we can decide what to do."**

"Sounds like a plan." Will said.

**Nobody offered a better idea, so they rolled in the cages with Coach Hedge and the storm spirits, then settled in. Thankfully, Leo didn't find any** **poison throw pillows or electric whoopee cushions on the sofas.**

_They actually looked!_ Hermes chuckled.

**...** **As Jason ate, he studied the metal statues along the walls. They looked like Greek gods or heroes. Maybe that was a good sign. Or maybe they were used for target practice...The big chair at the other end of the table looked like a throne.**  

The Stolls perked up at that.

**The canary cages didn't make the place any less creepy. The venti kept churning in their prison, hissing and spinning, and Jason got the** **uncomfortable feeling they were watching him.**

Thalia made a face at that.

**He could sense their hatred for the children of Zeus—the lord of the sky who'd ordered Aeolus to imprison** **their kind. The venti would like nothing better than to tear Jason apart.**

" _Yeah_ , maybe we should just leave them in the cage." she said, looking more and more cautious about the cage.

"They can't just leave them in there like that." Annabeth told her. "With Festus," she winced. "Gone. They can't lug something that heavy to wherever Aeolus is."

"What else can they be put in?" Thalia said. "It's not like they will just willingly come with them or fit in some other container."

"I don't know." the daughter of Athena looked thoughtful. "Maybe Leo can do something."

**As for Coach Hedge, he was still frozen mid-shout, his cudgel raised. Leo was working on the cage, trying to open it with various tools, but the lock seemed to be giving him a hard time...**

**Despite how wired he felt, once his stomach was full, Jason started to nod off.**

_Finally, he's going to sleep._ Thalia sighed with relief.

**Whatever Medea** **had meant in Chicago, about Piper getting her dad back if she cooperated—it didn't sound good.** **If Piper had risked her own dad to save them, that** **made Jason feel even guiltier.**

"It's not over yet." Aphrodite murmured. "You still have a chance to save him."

**Piper had already curled up on the other sofa. Jason wondered if she was really asleep or dodging a conversation about her dad.**

_Probably the latter._ the goddess thought with a frown.

**And they were running out of time. If Jason had his days straight, this was early morning of December 20. Which meant tomorrow was the winter** **solstice.**

The gods tensed.

"They only have one more day to save me." Hera whispered, visibly paling.

"I'm sure they'll find you." Hestia said, but her voice sounded unsure.

The other immortals exchanged nervous looks.

"You guys need to have more faith in us." Leo stated, putting the pen behind his ear. He put his notepad in his pocket before searching through his tool belt.

**...Jason took a deep breath. "Leo, I'm sorry about that stuff I said in Chicago. That wasn't me. You're not annoying and you do take stuff seriously —especially your work. I wish I could do half the things you can do."**

Leo smiled and playfully rolled his eyes.

**Leo lowered his screwdriver. He looked at the ceiling and shook his head like, _What_ _am_ _I_ _gonna_ _do_ _with_ _this_ _guy?_**

This earned him a few questioning glances.

**"I try very hard to be annoying," Leo said. "Don't insult my ability to annoy. And how am I supposed to resent you if you go apologizing? I'm a lowly** **mechanic. You're like the prince of the sky, son of the Lord of the Universe. I'm supposed to resent you."**

Hermes, the Stolls, and Apollo burst out laughing, while others looked even more confused by the response.

_Of course Leo would say that._ Thalia thought. With a faint grin, she shook her head.

As if hearing her thoughts, Leo smiled and shot her with his finger gun. He hastily retracted his hand when the hunters began loading their arrows.

"Just joking!" he reassured them.

They glared back as if to say:  _Do that again and you'll have more holes than Swiss cheese._

Thalia and Artemis pretended not to notice what was going on.

"That's how I should accept apologies from now on." Apollo said in between laughter.

**"Lord of the Universe?"**

**"Sure, you're all—bam! Lightning 'Watch me fly. I am the eagle that soars—'"**

If possible, the laughing grew louder.

Grover patiently waited for them to calm down before reading again.

**"Shut up, Valdez."**

**Leo managed a little smile. "Yeah, see. I do annoy you."**

**"I apologize for apologizing."**

**"Thank you." He went back to work, but the tension had eased between them. Leo still looked sad and exhausted—just not quite so angry.**

_They have a weird friendship._ Will thought, still confused by what had happened.

Leo took out a couple pink erasers and stacked them on top of each other.

**..."You did fix Festus, you know," Jason said. "You gave him a purpose again. I think this quest was the high point of his life."**

"Yeah," Jake agreed. "If you hadn't fixed him, we would've destroyed him."

"Being on this quest made him live longer and, since you're planning to rebuild him, he still has a long life ahead of him." Nyssa told Leo.

Leo grinned in response. "Yeah, you're right."

He placed a paper clip on top of his small tower.

**Jason was afraid he'd blown it and made Leo mad again, but Leo just sighed."**

**"I hope," he said. "Now, sleep, man. I want some time without you organic life forms."**

"Like father, like son." Hestia smiled.

**....He closed his eyes and had a long, blissfully dreamless sleep.** **He only woke when the yelling started.**

The readers tensed.

**"Ahhhggggggh!"**

"Sounds like the owner's back." Hermes commented as the others grimaced.

"Maybe they're friendly?" Katie hoped.

"After those lasers and poisonous doormat? Doubt it." Clarisse said.

**Jason leaped to his feet. He wasn't sure what was more jarring—the full sunlight that now bathed the room, or the screaming satyr.**

The tension was quickly eased when they discovered it was Coach Hedge.

"Oh." Lacy sighed with relief.

"Don't relax yet," Annabeth warned. "The owner might've heard that."

**...Gleeson Hedge was capering around on his furry hindquarters, swinging his club and** **yelling, "Die!" as he smashed the tea set, whacked the sofas, and charged at the throne.**

Clarisse laughed. "Good ol' Coach!"

"Does he still think he's fighting the ane...ano...er... storm spirits? Or does he not like the interior designing." Travis said.

"He's probably confused." Grover frowned. _Or at least, I hope._

**"Coach!" Jason yelled.**

**Hedge turned, breathing hard. His eyes were so wild, Jason was afraid he might attack. The satyr was still wearing his orange polo shirt and his** **coach's whistle, but his horns were clearly visible above his curly hair, and his beefy hindquarters were definitely all goat. Could you call a goat beefy?**

_...What?_ Thalia made a face.

**...."Valdez, McLean," the coach said. "What's going on? We were at the Grand Canyon. The anemoi thuellai were attacking and—" He zeroed in on** **the storm spirit cage, and his eyes went back to DEFCON 1. "Die!"**

"Don't!" Thalia tensed.

**"Whoa, Coach!" Leo stepped in his path, which was pretty brave...**

"Or pretty stupid." Leo shrugged as everyone else looked at him as if he were crazy.

**"It's okay. They're locked up. We just** **sprang you from the other cage."**

**.... [Jason] "The extraction team came and took us to Camp Half-Blood. We thought we'd lost you. Then we got word the storm spirits had taken you back to** **their—um, operator, Medea."**

**"That witch! Wait—that's impossible. She's mortal. She's dead."**

"She's _supposed_ to be dead." Hades corrected with a sigh.

**Hedge nodded, his eyes narrowing. "So! You were sent on a dangerous quest to rescue me. Excellent!"**

A few readers cringed.

"Um... about that..." Connor coughed.

**.... [Piper] "Actually, Glee—can I still call you Coach Hedge? Gleeson** **seems wrong. We're on a quest for something else. We kind of found you by accident."**

Clarisse scowled. "She didn't have to phrase it like that."

**"Oh." The coach's spirits seemed to deflate,** **but only for a second.**

The daughter of Ares couldn't help but grin at that.

**Then his eyes lit up again. "But there are no accidents! Not on quests. This was** **_meant_ to happen! So, this is the witch's lair, eh? Why is everything gold?"**

"Gold?!" Connor excitedly exclaimed. "Did he just say _gold_?!"

Travis eagerly leaned forward.

"Tell me everything," he told Grover.

**"Gold?" Jason looked around. From the way Leo and Piper caught their breath, he guessed they hadn't noticed yet either.** **The room was full of gold—the statues, the tea set Hedge had smashed, the chair that was definitely a throne. Even the curtains—which seemed to** **have opened by themselves at daybreak—appeared to be woven of gold fiber.**

The Stolls looked like two kids in a candy store.

"We'll take the statues, the curtains, even if the tea set is smashed, we can still sell the pieces..." Connor said, counting off with his fingers.

"Oh! And the throne! Don't forget the throne!" Travis added.

"I don't know why you're getting so excited." Katie rolled her eyes. "It's not like Chiron's actually going to give you permission to leave the camp."

"Details." Connor waved off. He looked up at the ceiling and sighed.  _I wonder if this guy owns a golden crown with a scepter._

"He might not give us permission at first, but he'll come around."  _If we annoy him enough._ Travis silently added.

"I'll believe it when I see it." Katie snorted.

**"Nice," Leo said. "No wonder they got so much security."**

"Oh yeah, how are we supposed to get past that?" Travis wondered. He turned to Connor and frowned. "Should we bring Leo with us?"

"Nope!" Leo said immediately, not looking away from his leaning tower. He held his hand close to it to keep it steady. "There's no way I'm going back there again."

The Stolls pouted.

"Aw, com'on man!" Connor exclaimed. "Think of all the gold we'll get from that place! We'll split the treasure three ways!"

"It's not worth it." the son of Hephaestus said. "Just trust me."

Travis groaned dramatically. "You're no fun!"

"I'm plenty of fun!" Leo argued. "I just value my life! This guy has _lasers_ shooting out of his lawn."

"Where's your sense of adventure?" Connor asked in exasperation. "As demigods, we've faced worse!"

**"This isn't—" Piper stammered. ""This isn't Medea's place, Coach. It's some rich person's mansion in Omaha.** **We got away from Medea and crash-landed here."**

**"It's destiny, cupcakes!" Hedge insisted. "I'm meant to protect you. What's the quest?"**

**Before Jason could decide if he wanted to explain or just shove Coach Hedge back into his cage, a door opened at the far end of the room.**

The readers tensed.

**A pudgy man in a white bathrobe stepped out with a golden toothbrush in his mouth.**

"A golden toothbrush! How awesome is that?! I didn't even know those existed!" Travis exclaimed, looking ecstatic.

The rest of the readers took in the description with confused expressions.

**He had a white beard and one of those long, old-fashioned** **sleeping caps pressed down over his white hair. He froze when he saw them, and the toothbrush fell out of his mouth.**

" _He's_ the owner?" Chris said skeptically. "I don't know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't this."

Percy frowned. "Who is this supposed to be?"

"Sounds like another mortal." Annabeth grimaced. "Probably another royal, judging from all the gold."

"Hopefully he's not as bad as Medea." Nico said.

**He glanced into the room behind him and called, "Son? Lit, come out here, please. There are strange people in the throne room."**

**Coach Hedge did the obvious thing. He raised his club and shouted, "Die!"** Grover cringed.

"That's the end of the chapter." he said, sighing over Hedge's reaction. _Is he going to be like that the whole quest?_ "Does anybody else want-"

"I will! I need to more about this guy's mansion!" Travis volunteered.

"It's really not as great as you think it is." Leo muttered, placing a pencil eraser on top. The tower collapsed.

With a goofy smile, the son of Hermes took the book from Grover and began to read.

" **Jason XXXII** ," Travis read, his excitement can be heard clear in his voice.

 

 


	33. Jason XXXII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3.Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" ** **Jason**** ** **XXXII**** ," Travis read, his voice full of excitement.

****It took all three of them to hold back the satyr. "Whoa, Coach!" Jason said. "Bring it down a few notches."** **

Grover winced. "We don't even know if they're dangerous yet..."

Leo tossed an eraser back and forth between his hands.

****A younger man charged into the room....** ** ****H** ** ****e was dressed in pajama pants with a sleeveless T-shirt that said cornhuskers, and he held a sword that** ** ****looked like it could husk a lot of things besides corn. His ripped arms were covered in scars, and his face, framed by curly dark hair, would've been** ** ****handsome if it wasn't also sliced up.** **

The Aphrodite kids exchanged whispers and giggles as they pushed each other around.

****Lit immediately zeroed in on Jason like he was the biggest threat, and stalked toward him, swinging his sword overhead.** **

****"Hold on!" Piper stepped** ** ****forward, trying for her best calming voice... Lit stopped in his tracks, but he still looked wary. It didn't** ** ****help that Hedge was screaming, "I'll get them!** ** ****Don't worry!"** **

"Not helping Gleeson..." Grover muttered. _They might have a chance of talking their way out  of this, if you don't threaten the owner._

****..."Let's all put our weapons down," Piper said. "Coach, you first."** **

****Hedge clenched his jaw. "Just one thwack?"** **

****"No," Piper said.** **

****"What about a compromise? I'll kill them first, and if it turns out they were friendly, I'll apologize."** **

"You're kidding, right?" Nico said dryly as Clarisse laughed.

Annabeth sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. 

"Please tell me he get's better after this," she told Leo.

Leo sheepishly smiled. "You'd think that but..." 

He trailed off and glanced at the pencil eraser in his hand.

_Great._ she thought sarcastically.

****"No!" Piper insisted.** **

****"Meh." Coach Hedge lowered his club.** **

****Piper gave Lit a friendly sorry-about-that smile...** ** ****Jason felt a little jealous she was giving Lit that smile.** **

Aphrodite giggled.

****Lit huffed and sheathed his sword. "You speak well, girl—fortunately for your friends, or I would've run them through."** **

****"Appreciate it," Leo said. "I try not to get run through before lunchtime."** **

"It tends to ruin the appetite." Apollo chuckled.

****....[Bathrobe Man] "Well, since you're here. Please, sit down."** **

****Lit frowned. "Your Majesty—"** **

****"No, no, it's fine, Lit," the old man said. "New land, new customs. They may sit in my presence. After all, they've seen me in my nightclothes. No** ** ****sense observing formalities."** **

"So far so good..." Percy said. _Maybe this can work out?_

Leo tossed the eraser in the air before trying to catch it. He missed and it landed on the floor.

****He did his best to smile, though it looked a little forced. "Welcome to my humble home. I am King Midas."** **

The Stolls gasped and exchanged excited expressions.

" _Dude!_ " Travis whispered, or at least tried to. "Once we steal from him, we'll be  _trillionaires!_ " He shook Connor's shoulder to empathize his point.

Katie sighed at their reaction.

Percy frowned. "Midas? Isn't he that golden touch guy?"

"Yup, that's him." Apollo scowled. "King 'Tone Deaf' Midas is back from the grave. Why would this patron waste her time bringing _him_ back to life, is beyond me."

"He's easy to manipulate." Artemis said. "I'm sure he was more than willing to work with the giants if it means getting back at you."

"He deserved what he got, Artie." the god huffed.

"Don't call me that."

"I'm the god of music, how could he pick Pan over me? No offense Hermes, Pan was a great guy, but there was no way he could be more musically talented than me, _the god of music!_ "

_Here we go again..._ Artemis thought, watching her brother dramatically wave his arms around as he ranted.

Percy turned to Annabeth.

"On a scale from one to ten, how dangerous is he?" he asked her.

Annabeth pondered on this for a moment.

"I'd say... two at best." she answered with a shrug. "Midas is relatively harmless. He lost his golden touch years ago after he accidentally turned his daughter into gold. Between him and his son, Lit's obviously the biggest threat."

"That's good," Percy relaxed. "I think I've had enough magical mortals from the last chapters."

"Me too." Annabeth agreed.

****"Midas? Impossible," said Coach Hedge. "He died."** **

"And should've stayed dead." Apollo added, drumming his fingers on his armrest.

****They were sitting on the sofas now, while the king reclined on his throne. Tricky to do that in a bathrobe, and Jason kept worrying the old guy would** ** ****forget and uncross his legs. Hopefully he was wearing golden boxers under there.** **

A few people winced at the mental image that came with that.

_Where does he get these weird thoughts from?_ Thalia shuddered.

****Lit stood behind the throne, both hands on his sword, glancing at Piper and flexing his muscular arms just to be annoying. Jason wondered if he** ** ****looked that ripped holding a sword. Sadly, he doubted it.** **

Aphrodite giggled.

"I don't think Piper would agree." Lacy smiled.

****.... [Midas]"And yet, now we're here. I'm enjoying myself very much. I like being alive better."** **

****"But how?" Piper asked. "You didn't happen to have a ... patron?"** **

****Midas hesitated, but there was a sly twinkle in his eyes. "Does it matter, my dear?"** **

"Since you shouldn't be here in the first place, it kinda does." Annabeth said sarcastically.

****"We could kill them again," Hedge suggested.** **

"Not a bad idea." Apollo said thoughtfully.

"Not helping." Artemis told him.

****... [Jason]"Why don't you go outside and stand guard?"** **

"It's better than what he's doing now, I guess." Grover sighed. "But would he be okay with all those security measures outside? 

****..."Oh, yes," the king said. "Sorry about that. But it's lovely stuff, isn't it? Amazing what gold can still buy. Such excellent toys you have in this country!"** **

****He fished a remote control out of his bathrobe pocket and pressed a few buttons—a pass code, Jason guessed.** **

****"There," Midas said. "Safe to go out now."** **

"I'm not sure it's a good idea to get separated again." Hestia said worriedly.

"It's either that or let Coach hang around." Leo reminded, attempting to juggle three erasers.

Hestia bit her lip at that. _They have no choice..._

****Coach Hedge grunted. "Fine. But if you need me ..." He winked at Jason meaningfully. Then he pointed at himself, pointed two fingers at their hosts,** ** ****and sliced a finger across his throat. Very subtle sign language.** **

Athena sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"It's not like they didn't know he was trying to kill them already." Mitchell said.

****....After the satyr left, Piper tried another diplomatic smile. "So ... you don't know how you got here?"** **

****"Oh, well, yes. Sort of," the king said. He frowned at Lit. "Why did we pick Omaha, again? I know it wasn't the weather."** **

****"The oracle," Lit said.** **

"Rachel?" Percy guessed.

"If he knows what's good for him, it'd better not be." Apollo said firmly.

****"Yes! I was told there was an oracle in Omaha." The king shrugged. "Apparently I was mistaken. But this is a rather nice house, isn't it? Lit—it's short** ** ****for Lityerses, by the way—horrible name, but his mother insisted—Lit has plenty of wide-open space to practice his swordplay. He has quite a reputation** ** ****for that. They called him the Reaper of Men back in the old days."** **

****"Oh." Piper tried to sound enthusiastic. "How nice."** **

****Lit's smile was more of a cruel sneer. Jason was now one hundred percent sure he didn't like this guy, and he was starting to regret sending Hedge** ** ****outside.** **

****"So," Jason said. "All this gold—"** **

****....Jason looked at the brochures on the coffee table. The title said _GOLD:_ _Invest_ _for_ _Eternity_. "Um, you sell gold?"** **

****"No, no," the king said. "I make it.** **

"He makes it?" Annabeth echoed, she blinked in confusion. "But... Didn't he give up his Golden Touch?"

The gods looked at her in disbelief. Even Dionysus looked away from his magazine and stared at her as if she stated the sky was green.

"Where'd you hear that from? Camp?" Apollo frowned and turned to the god of wine. "I thought you guys were supposed to be teaching them."

Dionysus didn't bother to look at him as he returned to his magazine. 

"Nobody watches the Orientation film, do you really think they have enough attention-spans to study out-of-date textbooks?" he grumbled. "Besides, I'm not getting paid enough to teach."

Zeus narrowed his eyes. "You're not getting paid."

The god snapped his fingers. "Bingo."

_Is this the man responsible for our children?_ Athena grimaced. She turned to her daughter. "Did your books ever tell you how he got rid of it? Or were they vague?"

"Um..." Annabeth hesitated, still embarrassed from their reactions. "They never mention how he got rid of it, I guess I just assumed he did after he repented-"

"Repent? Him?" Apollo laughed.

Annabeth's ears turned redder. 

"And learned how to change his daughter back to normal."

"At least you're half-right." Athena said. She made a mental note to talk about the camp's curriculum with Chiron later. 

"So, it's just Leo, Piper, and Jason. Alone. With the Cornhusker guy and a king who turns everything he touches into gold?" Percy summed up. "How did this go from bad to worse so quickly?"

"Comes with being a demigod?" Leo guessed. He added another eraser to his juggling.

"It might work out, Midas only wants to talk." Annabeth reminded.

"For now." Nico grumbled.

****In uncertain times like these, gold is the wisest investment, don't you think? Governments fall. The dead rise. Giants attack Olympus. But gold retains its value!"**** Travis frowned thoughtfully.

"Haven't we heard that ad before?" he asked Connor.

"Sounds like it." his brother said.

****..."Oh, don't be fooled by cheap imitators!" the king said. "I assure you, I can beat any price for a serious investor. I can make a wide assortment of gold items at a moment's notice."** **

****"But ..." Piper shook her head in confusion. "Your Majesty, you gave up the golden touch, didn't you?"** **

Annabeth felt slightly relieved that she wasn't the only one who thought that.

"Is this just a common inconsistency?" Athena wondered.

****The king looked astonished. "Gave it up?"** **

****"Yes," Piper said. "You got it from some god—"** **

****"Dionysus," the king agreed.** **

A few demigods looked at the wine dude in surprise.

As if sensing those looks, Dionysus rolled his eyes. "If you brats were actually taking your studies seriously, you would've already known this."

****"I'd rescued one of his satyrs, and in return, the god granted me one wish. I chose the golden touch."** **

"Dumbest wish I've ever granted." Dionysus admitted, turning page of his magazine.

Now Hermes looked intrigued. "Really? Compared to some of your other ones?"

"The others had some sense to them," the god said. "This guy clearly didn't think about it."

"He never can make the best decisions, can he?" Apollo asked, pretending to look thoughtful.

****"But you accidentally turned your own daughter to gold," Piper remembered. "And you realized how greedy you'd been. So you repented."** **

****"Repented!" King Midas looked at Lit incredulously.** **

Annabeth frowned.

****"You see, son? You're away for a few thousand years, and the story gets twisted all around. My** ** ****dear girl, did those stories ever say I'd lost my magic touch?"** **

****"Well, I guess not. They just said you learned how to reverse it with running water, and you brought your daughter back to life."** **

****"That's all true. Sometimes I still have to reverse my touch. There's no running water in the house because I don't want accidents"—he gestured to**** ** **his statues—**** ****"but we chose to live next to a river just in case. Occasionally, I'll forget and pat Lit on the back—"****

****Lit retreated a few steps. "I hate that."** **

_That makes two of us._ Leo thought with a shudder.

"How can he just be okay with his curse after what happened to his daughter?" Annabeth asked. "Moving next to a river won't solve the other issues."

****"I told you I was sorry, any rate, gold is wonderful. Why would I give it up?"** **

****....Midas laughed. "My dear, may I see your backpack for a moment? Toss it here."** **

****Piper hesitated, but she wasn't eager to offend the king. She dumped everything out of the pack and tossed it to Midas. As soon as he caught it, the** ** ****pack turned to gold, like frost spreading across the fabric. It still looked flexible and soft, but definitely gold. The king tossed it back.** **

"That is so cool." Travis breathed.

"Now what?" Clarisse said. "What's the point in making it gold?"

"Travel in style, duh." Connor responded as if that were obvious.

****"As you see, I can still turn anything to gold," Midas said. "That pack is magic now, as well. Go ahead—put your little storm spirit enemies in there."** **

"That solves one problem." Annabeth said. _Maybe this won't end as badly as I thought. Why bother help them with their problem if your going to kill them?_

"Sweet! Maybe the other things in the house have magic too!" Connor said enthusiastically.

****"Seriously?" Leo was suddenly interested. He took the bag from Piper and held it up to the cage. As soon as he unzipped the backpack, the winds** ** ****stirred and howled in protest. The cage bars shuddered. The door of the prison flew open and the winds got vacuumed straight into the pack. Leo zipped** ** ****it shut and grinned.** **

****"Gotta admit. That's cool."** **

The Stolls nodded in agreement.

****"You see?" Midas said. "My golden touch a curse? Please. I didn't learn any lesson, and life isn't a story, girl.**** ** **Honestly, my daughter Zoe was much**** ** **more pleasant as a gold statue."**** Travis's smile quickly transformed into a confused frown as he read that out loud.

"Uh... He's joking, right?" Connor said nervously.

****"She talked a lot," Lit offered.** **

****"Exactly! And so I turned her back to gold." Midas pointed. There in the corner was a golden statue of a girl with a shocked expression, as if she** ** ****were thinking, _Dad!_** **

"Holy crap." Travis muttered, face paling as he silently reread the sentence.

The demigods stiffened.

"They already got the storm spirit problem fixed, now's a good time to leave while he's in a good mood." Percy said.

****"That's horrible!" Piper said.** **

****"Nonsense. She doesn't mind.** **

"How does he know? Did he ask her before he turned her back to gold?" Artemis scowled, she beginning to see why Apollo hated Midas.

****Besides, if I'd learned my lesson, would I have gotten these?"** **

Already knowing what was going to happen, Leo cringed.

****Midas pulled off his oversize sleeping cap, and Jason didn't know whether to laugh or get sick. Midas had long fuzzy gray ears sticking up from his** ** ****white hair—like Bugs Bunny's, but they weren't rabbit ears. They were donkey ears.** **

"Ugh!" Aphrodite cried out with a shudder.

"Oh my gods!" Lacy gagged. The other demigods looked equally disgusted.

"I could've lived without the mental image, thanks." Will said, grimacing.

Apollo was smiling so hard, Leo wondered if it was starting to hurt.

"Good to know he still has them." he said smugly.

****"Oh, wow," Leo said. "I didn't need to see that."** **

The readers muttered in agreement.

****"Terrible, isn't it?" Midas sighed. "A few years after the golden touch incident, I judged a music contest between Apollo and Pan, and I declared Pan** ** ****the winner. Apollo, sore loser,** ** ****said I must have the ears of an ass, and voilà.** **

Apollo's smile fell, he sputtered. 

"Sore loser!" he angrily exclaimed. "Who? Me? A sore loser?! I'm the fairest guy I know, he should be lucky I just gave him donkey ears. I could've done a lot worse."

"I'm sure you could've." Artemis said patiently, gesturing Travis to keep reading. 

" _Sore loser._ " Apollo huffed. "I shouldn't have been so forgiving."

****This was my reward for being truthful.** **

" _Really?_ " Apollo scowled. "It's funny, he wasn't saying these things when he was on his hands and knees begging for mercy." _ ** **  
****_

****I tried to keep them a secret. Only my barber knew, but he couldn't help blabbing." Midas pointed out another golden statue—a bald man in a toga, holding a pair of shears.**** Travis's eyes widened dramatically. ****"That's him. He won't be telling anyone's secrets again."**** he read in a shaky voice. _How many of people did he turn into gold?_

"A two, huh?" Percy said to Annabeth.

Said girl fought down another wave of embarrassment. 

"I didn't know he was a deranged lunatic." she whispered back heatedly.

****The king smiled. Suddenly he didn't strike Jason as a harmless old man in a bathrobe. His eyes had a merry glow to them—the look of a madman** ** ****who knew he was mad, accepted his madness, and enjoyed it.** **

The Stolls exchanged uneasy looks.

"Maybe we should try our luck somewhere else?" Connor nervously suggested.

"Gold's overrated." Travis hurriedly agreed. "You can find that anywhere."

****"** ** ****Yes, gold has many uses. I think that must be why I was brought back, eh Lit? To bankroll o** ** ****ur patron."** **

****Lit nodded. "That and my good sword arm."** **

****..."So you do have a patron," Jason said. "You work for the giants."** **

****King Midas waved his hand dismissively. "Well, I don't care for giants myself, of course. But even supernatural armies need to get paid. I do owe my** ** ****patron a great debt. I tried to explain that to the last group that came through, but they were very unfriendly. Wouldn't cooperate at all."** **

****..."Hunters," Lit snarled. "Blasted girls from Artemis."** **

The hunters scowled at that.

_He better not have turned any of my hunters into gold._ Artemis gritted her teeth.

Thalia swore under her breath. "We just missed him."

****...His sister had been here.** **

"We were so close." she muttered.

Leo pocketed his erasers.

****"When?" he demanded. "What happened?"** **

****Lit shrugged. "Few days ago? I didn't get to kill them, unfortunately. They were looking for some evil wolves, or something. Said they were following a** ** ****trail, heading west. Missing demigod—I don't recall."** **

****Percy Jackson, Jason thought. Annabeth had mentioned the Hunters were looking for him...** ** ****Hera had called them her keepers. It had to be connected somehow.** **

****"Very unpleasant young ladies, those Hunters," [Midas] he recalled. "They absolutely refused to be turned into gold.** **

Phoebe made a face at that.

"Why would we want that?" she said in disbelief.

"This guy's insane..." Thalia murmured, paling. _Get out of there now, Jay._

****Much** ** ****of the security system outside I installed to keep that sort of thing from happening again, you know. I don't have time for those who aren't serious** ** ****investors."** **

The readers tensed. 

"This goes about as well as you think it would." Leo grimaced.

****"Well," Piper said, managing a smile. "It's been a great visit. Welcome back to life. Thanks for the gold bag."** **

****"Oh, but you can't leave!" Midas said. "I know you're not serious investors, but that's all right! I have to rebuild my collection."** **

"Is that supposed to make them stay?" Will asked incredulously. 

"How are they going to fight a guy like that?" Lacy said nervously.

****..."Don't worry," the king assured them. "You don't have to be turned to gold. I give all my guests a choice—join my collection, or die at the hands of** ** ****Lityerses. Really, it's good either way."** **

"Okay, they still have a chance to get out of this." Percy said urgently. "Obviously they need to choose Lit over Midas. Piper's charmspeak was working on him before, so if she can turn Lit against his dad, that could be the distraction they need to leave."

"That could've worked." Leo mused.

The son of Poseidon furrowed his eyebrows. "Could've?"

****Piper tried to use her charmspeak. "Your Majesty, you can't—"** **

****Quicker than any old man should've been able to move, Midas lashed out and grabbed her wrist.** **

The Aphrodite Cabin gasped.

"NO!" the goddess of love exclaimed.

Annabeth flinched in sympathy.

****But a frost of gold spread over Piper, and in a heartbeat she was a glittering statue.** **

Percy blinked.

He silently took in what just happened.

"He didn't let her choose." he finally said.

"He's a bad guy for a reason." Annabeth replied.

"Is she still alive?!" Lacy asked Leo, she looked close to tears.

"She's alive." Leo assured. "Jason made sure to take us to the river." 

"Us?" Jake picked up.

****Leo tried to summon fire, but he'd forgotten his power wasn't** ** ****working. Midas touched his hand, and Leo transformed into solid metal.** **

"Oh." Jake winced.

A few people gave him sympathetic glances.

" _Yeah,_ " Leo said, playing with the cuff of his jacket. 

"Does it hurt?" Lacy worriedly asked, still thinking about Piper.

He made a face.

"It didn't hurt." Leo recalled. "I just felt a cold sensation spread across my body and I blacked out. I don't remember much except..." He paused and shuddered. "Nothing."

"What?" Lacy pressed.

"It's nothing!" he insisted. "I just... had a weird dream. It wasn't a demigod dream, I swear." Or at least, Leo hoped it wasn't. Playing 'Pin the Tail on the Valdez' with King Midas was something he did _not_ want to become a reality.

Lacy looked perplexed, but she thankfully didn't ask any more questions.

****Jason was so horrified he couldn't move. His friends—just he hadn't been able to stop it.** **

****Midas smiled apologetically. "Gold trumps fire, I'm afraid." He waved around him at all the gold curtains and furniture. "In this room, my power** ** ****dampens all others: fire... even charmspeak.** **

"So much for my master plan." Percy sighed. "How does gold even block charmspeak?"

"It was a good idea." Nico told him. "You didn't know."

****Which leaves me only one more trophy to collect."** **

****"Hedge!" Jason yelled. "Need help in here!"** **

"Yeah, now would be a good time to kill things, Hedge." Grover said, chewing on the sleeve of his shirt.

****For once, the satyr didn't charge in. Jason wondered if the lasers had gotten him, or if he was sitting at the bottom of a trap pit.** **

"Maybe Midas reactivated the traps." Jake frowned.

Clarisse grimaced as Grover munched harder on his sleeve.

****...Jason fixed on an idea. "I choose combat. You said I could choose to fight Lit instead."** **

****...The king backed away, and Lit raised his sword.** **

****"I'm going to enjoy this," Lit said. "I am the Reaper of Men!"** **

****"Come on, Cornhusker." Jason summoned his own weapon. This time it came up as a javelin, and Jason was glad for the extra length.** **

****"Oh, gold weapon!" Midas said. "Very nice."** **

Thalia rolled her eyes.

****Lit charged.** **

****The guy was fast. He slashed and sliced, and Jason could barely dodge the strikes, but his mind went into a different mode—analyzing patterns,** ** ****learning Lit's style, which was all offense, no defense.** **

****Jason countered, sidestepped, and blocked.** **

The demigods frowned at the unusual fighting style.

****..."What is that style?" Lit growled. "You don't fight like a Greek."** **

"He fights like a cowardly Roman." Ares said, before wincing.

Athena hummed in agreement.

"Piper and I would've still been golden dust collectors if it weren't for that fighting style." Leo reminded, drumming his fingers on the wall. 

The demigods exchanged looks.

"That's true." Chris admitted.

Leo couldn't help but grin at his small victory.

****"Legion training," Jason said, though he wasn't sure how he knew that. "It's Roman."** **

****"Roman?" Lit struck again, and Jason deflected his blade. "What is _Roman_?"** **

****"News flash," Jason said. "While you were dead, Rome defeated Greece. Created the greatest empire of all time."**** Travis rolled his eyes as he read this. "Seriously?"

Leo's grin twitched. _Why did you have to brag?_

"If the Roman Empire really was that great, where is it now?" Connor said, some other demigods laughed and said similar things.

"It was just a little hometown pride, he didn't mean it like that." Leo reassured them.

"I hope so." Katie huffed. "I'm sure they were a good empire, but I wouldn't call them the _greatest._ "

****"Impossible," Lit said. "Never even heard of them."** **

_Please don't think of witty comeback, Jason._ Leo begged. Everyone looked ready for him to say one wrong thing. _Just beat this guy and let's move on._

****Jason spun on one heel, smacked Lit in the chest with the butt of his javelin, and sent him toppling into Midas's throne.** **

Leo sighed with relief.

****"Oh, dear," Midas said. "Lit?"** **

****"I'm fine," Lit growled.** **

****"You'd better help him up," Jason said.** **

****Lit cried, "Dad, no!"** **

****Too late. Midas put his hand on his son's shoulder, and suddenly a very angry-looking gold statue was sitting on Midas's throne.** **

Apollo chuckled. "Idiot."

****"Curses!" Midas wailed. "That was a naughty trick, demigod. I'll get you for that." He patted Lit's golden shoulder. "Don't worry, son. I'll get you down** ** ****to the river right after I collect this prize."** **

~~~~"He shouldn't sound so casual after what just happened." Percy said.

****Midas raced forward. Jason dodged, but the old man was fast, too. Jason kicked the coffee table into the old man's legs and knocked him over, but** ** ****Midas wouldn't stay down for long.** **

****Then Jason glanced at Piper's golden statue. Anger washed over him. He was the son of Zeus. He could not fail his friends.** **

Thalia nodded her head in approval.

"Glad to know that I helped inspire you." Leo muttered, brushing his hair back.

****"Ow! What are you doing?" he demanded. "My power is supreme here!"** **

****Thunder rumbled. Outside, the sky turned black.** **

****"You know another good use for gold?" Jason said.** **

****Midas raised his eyebrows, suddenly excited. "Yes?"** **

****"It's an excellent conductor of electricity."** **

Thalia grinned.

****Jason raised his javelin, and the ceiling exploded. A lightning bolt ripped through the roof like it was an eggshell...** ** ****Chunks of ceiling plaster crashed down. The chandelier groaned and snapped off its** ** ****chain, and Midas screamed as it pinned him to the floor.** **

Apollo's shoulders slumped. _So close, yet so far away..._

****The glass immediately turned into gold.** **

****When the rumbling stopped, freezing rain poured into the building... The rain soaked everything, turning the gold chandelier back to glass. Piper and Leo were slowly changing too,** ** ****along with the other statues in the room.** **

Aphrodite and some of her children sighed with relief.

****Then the front door burst open, and Coach Hedge charged in, club ready. His mouth was covered with dirt, snow, and grass.** **

"Our hero, ladies and gentlemen!" Connor introduced. "Seriously, was he just out eating this whole time?"

"Can't fight bad guys on an empty stomach." Travis said in his wisest voice.

"At least he's okay." Grover sighed.

****"What'd I miss?" he asked.** **

"Everything." Will stated. "How could he not hear the noise?"

****"Where were you?" Jason demanded...** ** ****"I was screaming for help."** **

****Hedge belched. "Getting a snack. Sorry. Who needs killing?"** **

Some of the readers looked exasperated.

****"No one, now!" Jason said. "Just grab Leo. I'll get Piper."** **

"Of course, he's got Piper." Aphrodite grinned.

****"Don't leave me like this!" Midas wailed.** **

****All around him the statues of his victims were turning to flesh—his daughter, his barber, and a whole lot of angry-looking guys with swords.** **

Apollo smiled to himself. _Poetic Justice._

****Jason grabbed Piper's golden bag and his own supplies.** **

****Then he threw a rug over the golden statue of Lit on the throne. Hopefully that would keep the Reaper of Men from turning back to flesh—at least until** ** ****after Midas's victims did.** **

"Nice touch." the god chuckled.

****"Let's get out of here," Jason told Hedge. "I think these guys will want some quality time with Midas."** **

"I'm done." Travis said. "Does anybody else want to read next?"

"I'll do it." Will volunteered, taking the book.

" ** **Piper XXXIII**** ," Will began.


	34. Piper XXXIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3.Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" **Piper XXXIII** ," Will began.

**Piper woke up cold and shivering.**

**She'd had the worst dream about an old guy with donkey ears chasing her around and shouting, _You're_ _it!_** Will furrowed his eyebrows as he read this.

"What?" he muttered to himself.

The other readers had confused expressions on their faces.

Leo's shoulders slumped with relief. _At least I'm not the only one. Is that just a side-effect from being turned into gold?_

**"Oh, god." Her teeth chattered. "He turned me to gold!"**

"It's a shame she didn't stay that way." Drew muttered, combing her hair with her fingers.

**"You're okay now." Jason leaned over and tucked a warm blanket around her,**

" _Awww!_ " the goddess of love cooed.

**but she still felt as cold as a Boread.**

**She blinked, trying to figure out where they were. Next to her, a campfire blazed, turning the air sharp with smoke...** **They were in a shallow cave, but it didn't offer much protection. Outside, the wind howled. Snow blew sideways.**

"Another snow storm?" Athena noticed. _Why does Boreas keep making snow storms? Is it an order from Aeolus?_

**..."L-L-Leo?" Piper managed.**

**"Present and un-gold-ified." Leo was also wrapped in blankets. He didn't look great, but better than Piper felt. "I got the precious metal treatment** **too," he said. "But I came out of it faster. Dunno why.**

"Maybe it's because of your fire abilities?" Katie said.

"Could be." Leo shrugged.

**We had to dunk you in the river to get you back completely. Tried to dry you off, but ... it's really,** **really cold."**

"Sounds like hypothermia." Will said with a frown. "Try to stay bundled up and near the fire. If you guys have the ingredients, maybe Jason can make some hot chocolate too. That would help."

"We didn't have hot chocolate, but I made a mean set of burgers!" Leo bragged.

"You cooked?" Will said disapprovingly. "Why didn't Jason or Coach Hedge do it? You should've been resting."

" _I'm_ the designated cook of this quest. If anybody's going to be making meals, it'd be Chef Leo." the son of Hephaestus told him. "Besides, Jay couldn't boil water if his life depended on it and Coach Hedge..."

Leo made a face. "I'm a little scared to try whatever he would make."

Will made a face as well. "You have a point."

**"We risked as much nectar as we could.** **Coach Hedge did a little nature magic—"**

**"Sports medicine."**

"I don't think sports medicine is very effective on hypothermia." the son of Apollo remarked before he continued.

**... [Coach Hedge]"Kind of a hobby of mine. Your breath might smell like wild mushrooms and Gatorade for a few days, but it'll pass. You probably won't die. Probably."** Will's frown deepened.

"He doesn't sound so sure." Lacy gulped, turning slightly pale.

"I'm sure she'll be fine." Mitchell said, hoping he didn't sound as unsure as he felt. "Satyrs are usually great at healing magic."

"Usually they are, but sometimes they can screw up." Drew said, ignoring a glare from her brother.

"Don't listen to her." Mitchell told Lacy, who trembled.

**"Thanks," Piper said weakly. "How did you beat Midas?"**

**Jason told her the story, putting most of it down to luck.**

"It was a lot more than that." Thalia said.

**The coach snorted. "Kid's being modest. You should've seen him. Hi-yah! Slice! Boom with the lightning!"**

"How would he know? Wasn't he eating half of the lawn earlier?" Thalia rolled her eyes.

Leo digged through his pockets.

**..."Then I came in with my club, and we dominated that room. Afterward, I told him, 'Kid, I'm proud of you! If you could just work on your upper body strength—'"**

**"Coach," said Jason.**

**"Yeah?"**

**"Shut up, please."**

Pulling out a loose piece of cooper wire, Leo began bending and twisting it in different directions.

**"Sure." The coach sat down at the fire and started chewing his cudgel.**

**Jason put his hand on Piper's forehead and checked her temperature. "Leo, can you stoke the fire?"**

**"On it." Leo summoned a baseball-sized clump of flames and lobbed it into the campfire.**

"You're getting better with using your powers." Annabeth noticed.

"I had to be if I wanted to survive this quest." Leo responded.

**"Do I look that bad?" Piper shivered.**

_Is that a trick question?_ Drew snorted.

**"Nah," Jason said.**

**"You're a terrible liar," she said.**

"Tell me about it." Drew said under her breath.

**"Where are we?"**

**"Pikes Peak," Jason said. "Colorado."**

"How'd he get that far without the dragon?" Nico asked.

**"But that's, what—five hundred miles from Omaha?"**

**"Something like that," Jason agreed. "I harnessed the storm spirits to bring us this far. They didn't like it—went a little faster than I wanted, almost** **crashed us into the mountainside before I could get them back in the bag. I'm not going to be trying that again."**

A few readers winced.

"They need to find a new ride soon." Nyssa said. "Do you think Aeolus can give them some kind of chariot or maybe teleport them to wear they need to go next?" 

"He might if he's in a good mood." Demeter said.

**"Why are we here?"**

"Pikes Peak is his favorite place to dock." Apollo explained. "He might be there."

**...Jason gazed into the storm as if watching for something. "That glittery wind trail we saw yesterday? It was still in the sky, though it had faded a lot. I** **followed it until I couldn't see it anymore. Then—honestly I'm not sure. I just felt like this was the right place to stop."**

**..."The Hunters were heading west," Piper remembered. "Do you think they're around here?"**

"I hope so." Thalia muttered. "I need to see him again." _We have so much we need to talk about._

**Jason rubbed his forearm as if the tattoos were bothering him. "I don't see how anyone could survive on the mountain right now. The storm's pretty** **bad.**

"Don't underestimate us." Thalia said. 

"We've been through worse." Phoebe said dismissively. 

**It's already the evening before the solstice, but we didn't have much choice except to wait out the storm here.**

The gods stiffened at that.

_Can't they hurry up?_ Hera impatiently thought.

**We had to give you some time to rest** **before we tried moving."**

**He didn't need to convince her. The wind howling outside the cave scared her, and she couldn't stop shivering.**

**"We have to get you warm." Jason sat next to her and held out his arms a little awkwardly. "Uh, you mind if I..."**

"Of course she wouldn't mind!" Aphrodite giggled with her daughters.

**"I suppose." She tried to sound nonchalant.**

**He put his arms around her and held her.**

" _Awww!_ " Aphrodite and a few members of Cabin Ten cooed.

"That must've been awkward." Connor said to Leo. "Just sitting there, suffering from hypothermia, while they're cuddling and flirting."

Leo snorted.

"You think this is bad?" he asked rhetorically. "Keep in mind, that I'm going to be traveling with them _and_ these two lovebirds for the Great Prophecy."

He jerked his thumb at Percy and Annabeth.

"Yikes." Will said sympathetically.

Aphrodite cackled mercilessly. "Hope you didn't walk in on anything _too_ bad!"

She gave her favorite couple a not-so subtle wink.

"Com'on guys! We're not _that_ bad." Percy defended. 

"You say that now, but you've been apart in the future." Lacy mischievously reminded. "Who knows how you two will act when you see each other again."

"We'll act the same as we always do." Annabeth told her. _I can keep my cool when I see him._

"Uh-huh." Nobody looked like they bought it.

**...Leo broke out some cooking supplies and started frying burger patties on an iron skillet. "So, guys, long as you're cuddled up for story time ...** **something I've been meaning to tell you. On the way to Omaha, I had this dream. Kinda hard to understand with the static and the Wheel of Fortune** **breaking in—"**

**"Wheel of Fortune ?" Piper assumed Leo was kidding, but when he looked up from his burgers, his expression was deadly serious.**

"Wheel of Fortune is a pretty intense game." Connor said in mock seriousness.

**Leo told them about his dream. In the firelight, with the wind howling, the story was even creepier....**

"It was more awkward than it was creepy." Leo said, pocketing his wire. "I probably made the whole thing sound scarier than it actually was."

He smoothed out the wrinkles on his jacket.

**... [Piper] "I don't** **understand. If demigods and gods have to work together to kill the giants, why would the gods stay silent? If they need us—"**

**"Ha," said Coach Hedge. "The gods hate needing humans. They like to be needed by humans, but not the other way around.**

"We're gods. We shouldn't need any help from mortals." Zeus grumbled, resting his head in his hand.

"We shouldn't." Poseidon agreed. "But there always seems to be a new enemy we can't defeat without them."

"In a way, it's kind of humbling." Hestia said thoughtfully.

"We don't need to be humbled. We're gods." Zeus told her. "We should be humbling them with our presence."

Percy snorted.

**Things will have to get** **a whole lot worse before Zeus admits he made a mistake closing Olympus."**

**"Coach," Piper said, "that was almost an intelligent comment."**

**Hedge huffed. "What? I'm intelligent! I'm not surprised you cupcakes haven't heard of the Giant War. The gods don't like to talk about it. Bad PR to** **admit you needed mortals to help beat an enemy. That's just embarrassing."**

"Or we just never needed to talk about it." Zeus said.

Hera and Poseidon sighed at his stubbornness.

Leo hummed a tune under his breath.  

**"There's more, though," Jason said. "When I dreamed about Hera in her cage, she said Zeus was acting unusually paranoid. And Hera—she said** **she went to those ruins because a voice had been speaking in her head. What if someone's influencing the gods, like Medea influenced us?"**

"But how can a mortal be powerful enough to do that?" Annabeth said. _Medea's strong, but she can't be that strong._

... **She'd had a similar thought—that some force they couldn't see was manipulating things behind the scenes, helping the giants.** **Maybe the same force was keeping Enceladus informed about their movements, and had even knocked their dragon out of the sky over Detroit.**

**Perhaps Leo's sleeping Dirt Woman,** **or another servant of hers.**

"I really hope it's both." Annabeth said. "I can't imagine one person being that powerful."

Leo fiddled with a couple screws and bolts.

**... [Leo] "Yeah, Hephaestus said something similar, like Zeus was acting weirder than usual. But what bothered me was the stuff my dad didn't say.**

"It bothers me too." Hermes admitted. "How can he be alive for this long and not be able to easily lie? How is that even possible?"

"When you're barely around other people, you don't need to lie." Aphrodite explained with a shrug.

**Like a couple of times he was talking about the demigods, and how he had so many kids and all. I don't** **know. He acted like getting the greatest demigods together was going to be almost impossible—like Hera was trying, but it was a really stupid thing to** **do,**

_Thanks for the vote of confidence._ Hera thought.

**and there was some secret Hephaestus wasn't supposed to tell me."**

"We really need to work on that. He shouldn't have realized you were hiding something," Hermes said.

**Jason shifted. Piper could feel the tension in his arms.**

**"Chiron was the same way back at camp," he said. "He mentioned a sacred oath not to discuss—something. Coach, you know anything about that?"**

"I'd be surprised if he did." Dionysus said.

**"Nah. I'm just a satyr. They don't tell us the juicy stuff. Especially an old—" He stopped himself.**

**"An old guy like you?" Piper asked. "But you're not that old, are you?"**

**"Hundred and six," the coach muttered.**

**Leo coughed. "Say what?"**

"It's not as old as you would think." Grover explained to Leo. "We age slower than humans, so even though I'm technically older than Percy, we're the same age."

"I couldn't believe it the first time I heard it either." Percy remembered. "I thought he got held back in classes or something."

The satyr bleated in protest.

**[Hedge] "...I made some enemies on the Council of Cloven Elders. I've been a protector a long time. But they started saying I was getting unpredictable. Too violent. Can you imagine?"**

"Those old satyrs didn't know what they were talking about." Clarisse huffed.

"Yeah, hard to imagine why'd they think that." Grover said sarcastically.

**"Wow." Piper tried not to look at her friends. "That's hard to believe."**

**Coach scowled. "Yeah, then finally we get a good war going with the Titans, and do they put me on the front lines? No! They send me as far away as** **possible—the Canadian frontier, can you believe it?**

"A good war? He makes it sound like he got benched from a game." Jake said incredulously.

**Then after the war, they put me out to pasture. The Wilderness School. Bah! Like I'm too old to be** **helpful just because I like playing those flower-pickers on the Council—talking about nature."**

**"I thought satyrs liked nature," Piper ventured.**

**"Shoot, I love nature," Hedge said. "Nature means big things killing and eating little things!**

"The more exciting parts of nature." Ares nodded his head.

**And when you're a —you know—vertically challenged satyr like me, you get in good shape, you carry a big stick, and you don't take nothing from no one! That's nature." Hedge snorted indignantly...**

**...Lying by the fire, with Jason holding her, Piper's conscience felt like a hot bullet slowing working its way toward her the guilt she'd been holding in for the last week, since the giant Enceladus had first sent her a dream, was about to kill her.**

_Piper, just tell them already._ Lacy pleaded. _It's better that they hear it from you than someone like Medea._

_I'm starting to think she'll never tell them._ Drew thought.

**...For all she knew, she'd already doomed her father when she attacked Medea.**

Aphrodite winced.

"Maybe it's not too late." Mitchell said.

**She choked back a sob. Maybe she'd done the right thing in Chicago by saving her friends, but she'd only delayed her problem. She could never** **betray her friends, but the tiniest part of her was desperate enough to think, What if I did?**

**She tried to imagine what her dad would say.** _**Hey, Dad, if you were ever chained up by a cannibal giant and I had to betray a couple of friends to** _ _**save you, what should I do?** _

"I don't think he'd take her seriously." Chris commented.

**...Her dad would think that was nuts. He'd had spent his whole life running away from that place, distancing himself from the rez, playing any role** **except Native American...**

_He can't be handling things well right now._ Aphrodite bit her lip.

**Leo put tofu patties on the skillet. The wind kept raging. Piper thought of an old story her dad had told her ... one that maybe did answer some of her** **questions.**

**...Dad told her the legend—how one day a Cherokee woman had seen a snake playing too near her children and killed it with a rock, not realizing it** **was the king of rattlesnakes. The snakes prepared for war on the humans, but the woman's husband tried to make peace...** **The snakes held him to his word. They told him to send his wife to the well so the snakes could bite her and take her life in** **exchange. The man was heartbroken, but he did what they asked. Afterward, the snakes were impressed that the man had given up so much and kept** **his promise. They taught him the snake song for all the Cherokee to use. From that point on, if any Cherokee met a snake and sang that song, the snake** **would recognize the Cherokee as a friend, and would not bite.**

**"That's awful!" Piper had said. "He let his wife die?"**

**Her dad spread his hands. "It was a hard sacrifice. But one life brought generations of peace between snakes and Cherokee..."**

"I hope this isn't giving Piper any ideas." Aphrodite muttered. _There has to be another way around this without sacrificing anyone._

**...But still ... she'd made a promise to help on this quest. Her friends were counting on her. They'd saved her when Midas had turned her to gold.**

**They'd brought her back to life. She couldn't repay them with lies.**

Lacy nodded her head in agreement.

**Gradually, she started to feel warmer. She stopped shivering and settled against Jason's chest. Leo handed out the food. Piper didn't want to move, talk,** **or do anything to disrupt the moment. But she had to.**

**"We need to talk." She sat up so she could face Jason. "I don't want to hide anything from you guys anymore."**

Aphrodite leaned forward. She silently hoped that nothing would interrupt Piper's attempt to confess.

**..."Three nights before the Grand Canyon trip," she said, "I had a dream vision—a giant, telling me my father had been taken hostage. He told me I had** **to cooperate, or my dad would be killed."**

"FINALLY! She told them the truth!" the goddess of love squealed, hugging Ares.

The Aphrodite Cabin cheered with joy as some of the others smiled with relief.

Not looking up as she filed her nails, Drew hummed with disinterest.

"Hopefully that little confession didn't cost her father his life." Drew said casually.

The joy Aphrodite had was immediately gone as she paled at the thought of what might happen to Tristan.

"He'll be fine." the goddess told herself. "They still have time to save him."

"But they can't save Tristan and Hera at the same time." Drew muttered. "They only have one more day left before time's up."

**Finally Jason said, "Enceladus? You mentioned that name before."**

**Coach Hedge whistled. "Big giant. Breathes fire. Not somebody I'd want barbecuing my daddy goat."**

Aphrodite shivered.

"The dude's _freakin'_ huge and _breathes fire!_ Is there anything these guys _can't do_?" Connor said in exasperation.

Travis halfheartedly chuckled.

"No worries! We got our fire guy right here!" he patted Leo's shoulder.

Said teen gulped and smiled nervously.

"I think you're over exaggerating my abilities..." he said, turning his attention back to the bolts and screws in his hands.

**...** **She couldn't meet her friends' eyes. She waited for them to yell at her, or turn their backs, or kick her out into the snowstorm.**

"We wouldn't do that." Leo said. "It's not like she was the only one. The Dirt Woman told me the whole 'join the dark side, abandon your friends' thing too."

He frowned. "It's weird, Jason's the only one so far who hasn't been told that."

"He's the least likely to give up on the quest," Annabeth told him. "He needs to save Hera if he wants his memory back."

**Instead, Jason scooted next to her and put his arm around her again. "God, Piper. I'm so sorry."**

**Leo nodded. "No kidding. You've been carrying this around for a week? Piper, we could _help_ you."**

_Would've saved a lot of complaining._ Drew thought.

**She glared at them. "Why don't you yell at me or something? I was ordered to kill you!"**

**"Aw, come on," Jason said. "You've saved us both on this quest. I'd put my life in your hands any day."**

**"Same," Leo said. "Can I have a hug too?"**

**"You don't get it!" Piper said.**

"Ouch!" Apollo chuckled.

"I don't think she's talking about the hug." Artemis rolled her eyes.

**"I've probably just killed my dad, telling you this."**

**"I doubt it." Coach Hedge belched..."Giant hasn't gotten what he** **wants yet, so he still needs your dad for leverage. He'll wait until the deadline passes, see if you show up. He wants you to divert the quest to this** **mountain, right?"**

**Piper nodded uncertainly.**

**"So that means Hera is being kept somewhere else," Hedge reasoned. "And she has to be saved by the same day. So you have to choose—rescue** **your dad, or rescue Hera. If you go after Hera, then Enceladus takes care of your dad. Besides, Enceladus would never let you go even if you** **cooperated. You're obviously one of the seven in the Great Prophecy."**

"She has to pick me!" Hera said. "Everyone will be doomed if they fail to save me!"

"Damned if you do, damned if you don't." Annabeth muttered. _We still don't know the meaning of that 'Unleash Hera's Rage' line, but they can't abandon her. Obviously they're going into a trap, but they can't abandon Mr. McLean._

She groaned and rubbed her head. _Why can't quests be easy?_

**One of the seven...She** **didn't feel that important.**

Drew hummed in agreement.

**She was just a stupid child of Aphrodite.**

_Have more confidence in yourself, Piper. You've come this far._ the goddess of love thought.

**How could she be worth deceiving and killing?**

**"So we have no choice," she said miserably. "We have to save Hera, or the giant king gets unleashed. That's our quest.**

Aphrodite's shoulders slumped. _No..._

"It's a hard sacrifice but it must be done." Hera agreed.

"There has to be some way!" Percy argued. 

"There's not enough time." she said unsympathetically. "It's either him or the world."

**The world depends on it.** **And Enceladus seems to have ways of watching me. He isn't stupid. He'll know if we change course and go the wrong way. He'll kill my dad."**

Aphrodite flinched.

**"He's not going to kill your dad," Leo said. "We'll save him."**

Hera narrowed her eyes at Leo. 

"And what about me?" she demanded. "You can't do both!"

"Sure we can. We just need to go in, save Piper's dad, go out, then rescue you." Leo waved his hand dismissively. "Easy."

"I think you're forgetting who you're dealing with." Hera said, crossing her arms. "Enceladus was made to destroy Athena. He is ruthless as he is cunning. If you manage to survive his attacks, he'll just be stalling until it's too late to rescue me."

"Relax, tia abuela. We got this." Leo reassured, setting aside his screws and bolts.

_It seems impossible. Piper and Leo aren't even properly trained._ Will thought.

**"We don't have time!" Piper cried. "Besides, it's a trap."**

**"We're your friends, beauty queen," Leo said. "We're not goi** **ng to let your dad die. We just gotta figure out a plan."**

"You don't even have a plan yet and you're already set on doing this." Hera grumbled. _They don't even know where they're going._

**...[Coach Hedge]"Would help if we knew where this mountain was. Maybe Aeolus can tell you that. The Bay Area has a bad reputation for** **demigods. Old home of the Titans, Mount Othrys, sits over Mount Tam, where Atlas holds up the sky.**

Artemis scowled at the mention of the Titan.

**I hope that's not the mountain you saw."**

**... [Piper] "I don't think so. This was inland."**

**Jason frowned at the fire, like he was trying to remember something.**

**"Bad reputation ... that doesn't seem right. The Bay Area ..."**

"Why wouldn't it be?" Annabeth muttered. "Didn't the Romans fight a war there? Shouldn't that have given the Bay Area an even worse reputation?"

Leo stretched his legs.  _Gods, I think my leg fell asleep. Can't they at least let me walk around the room?_

**"I ..." He looked like he was almost on the edge of a breakthrough. Then the anguish came back into his eyes. "I don't know. Hedge, what happened** **to Mount Othrys?"**

**Hedge took another bite of paper and burger. "Well, Kronos built a new palace there last summer. Big nasty place, was going to be the** **headquarters for his new kingdom and all. Weren't any battles there, though. Kronos marched on Manhattan, tried to take Olympus. If I remember right,** **he left some other Titans in charge of his palace, but after Kronos got defeated in Manhattan, the whole palace just crumbled on its own."**

_So that was the lie they were going to go with._ the daughter of Athena scowled. _It doesn't even make any sense. The monsters and Krios suddenly upped and vanished? Who'd believe that?_

**"No," Jason said.**

The readers stiffened.

"Is he starting to get his memories back?" Chris asked, eyeing the book carefully. "I thought that he had to save Hera first."

"Could've been a fluke." Will said. "He's been having random memories pop up in his head from time to time. Like his memory of Thalia."

"I hope so..." Mitchell muttered. "It's too soon for him to have them yet."

_Is it too soon or are you too scared?_   Leo thought, searching through his tool belt.

**Everyone looked at him.**

**"What do you mean, 'No'?" Leo asked.**

**"That's not what happened. I—" He tensed, looking toward the cave entrance. "Did you hear that?"**

The readers exchanged uneasy glances.

**For a second, nothing. Then Piper heard it: howls piercing the night.**

Thalia straightened her posture, she turned to Phoebe.

"You think that's our hunting wolves?" she asked, she hoped she didn't sound too eager.

The other hunter smiled and shrugged. "Could be, we were heading in the same direction. Let's keep our fingers crossed."

"That's the end of the chapter." Will said. "Does anybody else want to read?"

"I'll do it." Nyssa said, taking the book.

" **Piper XXXIV** ," she began.


	35. Piper XXXIV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3.Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" ** **Piper XXXIV**** ," Nyssa began.

****"Wolves," Piper said. "They sound close."** **

Thalia mentally crossed her fingers and hoped for the best. It has to be their wolves, right? Who else could it be?

Leo pulled out a pair of pliers. He picked up a screw with the jaw and dropped it in his hand.

He lazily repeated the process.

****Jason rose and summoned his sword. Leo and Coach Hedge got to their feet too. Piper tried, but black spots danced before her eyes.** **

Aphrodite, her children, Will worriedly frowned.

****"Stay there," Jason told her. "We'll protect you."** **

****She gritted her teeth. She hated feeling helpless. She didn't _want_ anyone to protect her. First the stupid ankle. Now stupid hypothermia. She wanted ** ** ****to be on her feet, with her dagger in her hand.** **

"Don't do anything stupid," Will muttered. "It's better if you let the others handle this." _Although Leo shouldn't be fighting either._

****Then, just outside the firelight at the entrance of the cave, she saw a pair of red eyes glowing in dark.** **

~~~~~~~~_Of course it wouldn't be us._ Thalia sighed, she slouched a bit.

****Okay, she thought. Maybe a little protection is fine.** **

"A little protection won't hurt anyone." Aphrodite agreed, her body tensing.

****More wolves edged into the firelight—black beasts bigger than Great Danes... Their fangs gleamed, and their** ** ****glowing red eyes looked disturbingly intelligent. The wolf in front was almost as tall as a horse, his mouth stained as if he'd just made a fresh kill.** **

A few readers shivered.

~~~~"What are those things? I don't think they live in the mountains." Katie shuddered.

Annabeth took in the description, her mind going a hundred miles a minute as she tried to figure out what Greek myth they were. _They're obviously the wolves Hera was talking about. But who are they?_

****...** ** ****Then Jason stepped forward and said something in Latin.** **

Percy frowned. "How did he know that they spoke Latin? Has he seen them before?"

"Maybe." Annabeth said. _They can't be Lupa's wolves. They don't match the description. Maybe they're a rival pack?_

****Piper didn't think a dead language would have much effect on wild animals, but the alpha wolf curled his lip... One of** ** ****his lieutenants tried to advance, but the alpha wolf snapped at his ear. Then all of the wolves backed into the dark.** **

"Wonder what he said?" Percy mused. _It would be pretty handy to know for later._

****...Hedge cursed. "Whatever it was, it wasn't enough. Look."** **

****The wolves were coming back, but the alpha wolf wasn't with them. They didn't attack. They waited—at least a dozen now, in a rough semicircle just** ** ****outside the firelight, blocking the cave exit.** **

"Guess they got no choice but to fight head-on." Ares smirked.

****The coach hefted his club. "Here's the plan. I'll kill them all, and you guys escape."** **

~~~~"Escape how? They blocked the only exit!" Travis said. "Besides, he can't fight all those wolves alone! He'll get mauled."

Polishing his sword, Ares just smiled wider.

****"Coach, they'll rip you apart," Piper said.** **

****"Nah, I'm good."** **

"I wish I had some of his confidence." Leo muttered, snapping his pliers open and closed.

****Then Piper saw the silhouette of a man coming through the storm, wading through the wolf pack.** **

_A man?_ Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows.

****"Stick together," Jason said. "They respect a pack. And Hedge, no crazy stuff.** **

"Please." Grover begged.

****We're not leaving you or anyone else behind."** **

Clarisse nodded her head in approval.

****Piper got a lump in her throat. She was the weak link in their "pack" right now... She might as well be** ** ****wearing a sign that said FREE LUNCH.** **

Lacy gulped.

****The wolves parted, and the man stepped into the firelight. His hair was greasy and ragged... topped with a crown of what** ** ****looked like finger bones. His robes were tattered fur—wolf, rabbit, raccoon, deer, and several others Piper couldn't identify...** ** ****His frame was lithe and muscular, like a distance runner's... His thin** ** ****pale skin was pulled tight over his skull. His teeth were sharpened like fangs.** **

_That sounds like Lycaon, the first werewolf._ Annabeth realized, her eyes widening.

****His eyes glowed bright red like his wolves'—and they fixed on Jason with** ** ****absolute hatred.** **

"Of course he's gotta have a personal hatred towards Jason." Thalia grimaced. "Lemme guess, 'Your Daddy was mean to me, so now I'm gonna kill you.'"

"That sounds 'bout right." Annabeth said, recalling the story.

"Figures." the hunter grumbled.

****" _Ecce,_ " he said, " _filli Romani_."** **

The demigods turned to Percy.

"What'd he say?" Travis asked.

The son of Poseidon made a face.

"Just 'cause I took Latin, doesn't mean I'm fluent. Textbook Latin is different from the real thing." Despite this, he concentrated on the words and translated as best as he could. "Er... it sounds like he either said 'Behold, a Roman.' or something alone the lines of 'Here, Roman nurses.'" *

"I think the last one might be the closest." Connor laughed.

"I told you, I'm not fluent!" Percy defended.

_Should've just kept that last part to yourself._ Annabeth shook her head.

****"Speak English, wolf man!" Hedge bellowed.** **

Grover and Clarisse winced.

_Now's not a good time, Coach._ she thought.

****The wolf man snarled. "Tell your faun to mind his tongue, son of Rome. O** ** ****r he'll be my first snack."** **

 Grover shuddered.

"I guess he knows what Jason is, then." Annabeth said. "I'm surprised he's not hiding like the others are."

"He probably thinks they know at this point." Athena said.

"How did you not figure it out by now?" Chris asked Leo. "It's pretty obvious."

"Not everybody has an Annabeth who can figure things out in two seconds, Chris." Leo told him. "Some of us didn't even know gods existed until the day of their first quest."

"Oh, right." he sheepishly smiled.

****The wolf man studied their little group. His nostrils twitched. "So it's true," he mused. "A child of Aphrodite. A son of Hephaestus. A faun. And a child** ** ****of Rome, of Lord Jupiter, no less. All together, without killing each other. How interesting."** **

~~~~"What can I say? We're full of surprises!" Leo smiled.

"Actually, it's not that surprising, considering your fake memories." Athena shrugged. "I doubt your little team would've lasted this long, if you hadn't had them."

Leo winced. He should've known that she would use that against him, but he didn't like to remind himself that most ( or was it all?) of his memories from the Wilderness School were fake. At first it was exciting with the whole ' _starting over'_ thing, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized how messed it was. And the more he realized just how messed up it was, the more he would ask questions that he was scared to have answered. _Would Jay, Piper, and I still become friends if we met differently?  How did Piper and I meet? Is it the same way I remember it or is that fake too?  I mean, what're the odds of two demigods going to the same high school and being best friends? Was that godly intervention or just a coincidence?_

He ignored the beginnings of a headache. 

_This is just like me, Sammy, and Hazel all over again. How do things like this happen to the same guy twice?_

Leo immediately pushed those thoughts away. 

"It doesn't matter that those memories were fake." he said. He wasn't sure who he was telling this to: himself or Athena. "I knew that they weren't real and I still volunteered to help Jason on this quest. We've saved each other so many times during those couple of days and learned so much about each other, if we weren't friends before, we're best friends now."

He noticed that the others were listening in and felt the heat rising to his face.

_Why did I say that out loud?_ he yelled to himself. Leo kicked his melted shoe. _'If we weren't friends before, we're best friends now!' More like, 'if you thought I was lame before, you'll think I'm lamer now!' Maybe I can laugh it off? No, that's stupid._

He just continued silently nudging his shoe.

"Piper and Jason are lucky to have a friend like you." Aphrodite smiled.

"Yeah, thanks." he said quickly, brushing his hair back. _Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll just shut up for the rest of the book._

****"You were told about us?" Jason asked. "By whom?"** **

****The man snarled—perhaps a laugh, perhaps a challenge. "Oh, we've been patrolling for you all across the west, demigod, hoping we'd be the first to** ** ****find you. The giant king will reward me well when he rises.** **

~~~~The readers tensed.

****I am Lycaon, king of the wolves.** **

A few demigods looked confused.

_Who?_ Percy wondered.

****And my pack is hungry."** **

****...Out of the corner of her eye, Piper saw Leo put up his hammer and slip something else from his tool belt—a glass bottle full of clear liquid.** **

****..."Leave," Jason ordered. "There's no food for you here."** **

****"Unless you want tofu burgers," Leo offered.** **

"I don't think Lycaon's a tofu type of guy." Hermes said, chuckling despite the situation.

****"If I had my way," Lycaon said with regret, "I'd kill you first, son of Jupiter. Your father made me what I am. I was the powerful mortal king of Arcadia,** ** ****with fifty fine sons, and Zeus slew them all with his lightning bolts."** **

"Another villain out to kill us because of our father's past actions, thanks Dad!" Thalia said sarcastically.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"He deserved what he got! He's lucky I didn't slay him instead!" Zeus exclaimed. "He tried to feed me human flesh! Out of all the ways to test my powers, he tries _that!_ It was already insulting enough that he dared to doubt my claim as a god! But then he had the _nerve_ to test me. A _god_ tested by a mere mortal! _Me_ , _the king of gods_ _!_ I'm starting to think I was too merciful!"

"And people think Apollo is over dramatic." Poseidon rolled his eyes.

"He is." Hades corrected. "This is just where he gets it from."

"Hey! I'm not over dramatic! My anger was totally justified!" Apollo cut in.

****"Ha," Coach Hedge said. "For good reason!"** **

~~~~"Thank you!" the god huffed.

****..."Lycaon invited Zeus to dinner," she said. "But the king wasn't sure it was really Zeus. So to test his powers, Lycaon tried to feed him human flesh.** ** ****Zeus got outraged—"** **

****"And killed my sons!" Lycaon howled. The wolves behind him howled too.** **

~~~~"I don't want to hear his complaints." Zeus rolled his eyes. "He killed another human being, and tried to feed it to me."

****"So Zeus turned him into a wolf," Piper said.** **

~~~~"Should've just disintegrated him." the god muttered.

****"They call... they call werewolves lycanthropes, named after him, the first werewolf."** **

****"The king of wolves," Coach Hedge finished. "An immortal, smelly, vicious mutt."** **

"Be quiet, Gleeson." Grover murmured.

Leo placed his pliers back in his tool belt and started flicking bolts and screws across the room.

****Lycaon growled. "I will tear you apart, faun!"** **

Grover loudly gulped.

****"Oh, you want some goat, buddy? 'Cause I'll give you goat."** **

~~~~The satyr winced as the Stolls snickered.

****"Stop it," Jason said. "Lycaon, you said you wanted to kill me first, but...?"** **

****"Sadly, Child of Rome, you are spoken for. Since this one"—he waggled his claws at Piper—"has failed to kill you, you are to be delivered alive to** ** ****the Wolf House. One of my compatriots has asked for the honor of killing you herself."** **

~~~~"Who's 'her'?" Thalia frowned. "That could be anyone! Khione, Medea, the Dirt Woman, even Ma Gasket!"

"Somehow I don't think it's that last one." Annabeth said. "But I do think it could be Medea."

"Oh, not this again!" Percy exclaimed. "She can't be alive after all of that."

"So you say." she shrugged.

****The wolf king snickered. "Oh, a great admirer of yours. Apparently, you made quite an impression on her. She will take care of you soon enough,** ** ****and** ** ****really I cannot complain. Spilling your blood at the Wolf House should mark my new territory quite well. Lupa will think twice about challenging my pack."** **

~~~~~~~~_So they are a rival pack._ Annabeth thought. _I guess that explains why Jason knew he should speak Roman to them._

****...She didn't understand everything Lycaon had said, but a woman who wanted to kill Jason?** **

****Medea, she** ** ****thought. Somehow, she must've survived the explosion.** **

_Oh gods, I hope not._ Thalia thought. _He barely survived Medea's charmspeak without Piper's help._

Annabeth nodded her head in agreement.

"Okay if she survived that, _if,_ " Percy stressed. "I want to hear a full-detailed explanation as to how she got out, because there's no way she should be still alive."

****Piper struggled to her feet. Spots danced before her eyes again. The cave seemed to spin.** **

****"You're going to leave now," Piper said, "before we destroy you."** **

Drew stifled a giggle. _Who is she trying to scare right now? The wolf-man and his blood-thirsty pack?_

****Lycaon's red eyes crinkled with humor. "A brave try, girl.** ** ****I admire that. Perhaps I'll make your end quick.** **

Aphrodite scowled.

****Only the son of Jupiter is needed alive. The rest of you, I'm afraid, are dinner."** **

****At that moment, Piper knew she was going to die.** **

"Don't say that, Piper." Lacy whimpered.

****But at least she'd die on her feet, fighting next to Jason.** **

_And me and Coach Hedge._ Leo silently added. _Nice to know I was thought of during your 'final' moments._

****...Lycaon howled and extended his claws. Jason slashed at him, but his golden sword passed straight through as if the wolf king wasn't there.** **

"That doesn't work." Annabeth said, playing with her necklace. "They need silver to kill him."

"But they don't have anything silver." Percy said. He turned to the son of Hephaestus. "Can't you pull something silver out of your tool belt?" Leo flinched when he realized he was talking to him. "Silverware? Anything?"

Leo relaxed when he heard what Percy was asking.

"No, it's too complicated." he explained, flicking a screw across the room.

It hit Hephaestus's foot.

The god looked over at the object before picking it up and adding it to his contraption.

"Sure, you can keep it." Leo muttered sarcastically, tapping his foot.

****...Wolves leaped into the firelight. Hedge charged forward with an elated "Woot!"** **

~~~~The readers tensed.

****But Leo struck first. He threw his glass bottle and it shattered on the ground, splattering liquid all over the wolves—the unmistakable smell of** ** ****gasoline. He shot a burst of fire at the puddle, and a wall of flames erupted.** **

"Nice!" Connor grinned. "That should buy time!"

"But what else can they do?" Katie asked.

****Wolves yelped and retreate... Even Lycaon looked uneasily at the barrier of flames now** ** ****separating his wolves from the demigods.** **

****"Aw, c'mon," Coach Hedge complained. "I can't hit them if they're way over there."** **

"That's the point." Athena sighed.

****Every time a wolf came closer, Leo shot a new wave of fire from his hands, but each effort seemed to make him a little more tired, and the gasoline** ** ****was already dying down. "I can't summon any more gas!" Leo warned.** **

The Stolls burst out laughing.

~~~~"That's not what I meant, and you guys know it!" Leo laughed despite himself.

Some of the readers in the room rolled their eyes at their antics before turning their attention back to Nyssa.

****"Nothing," Jason said. "Not even a weapon that works."** **

****"Lightning?" Piper asked.** **

****Jason concentrated, but nothing happened. "I think the snowstorm is interfering, or something."** **

~~~~"Seriously?" Percy groaned.

****"Unleash the venti!" Piper said.** **

"He can't." Annabeth grimaced. "If he did, they wouldn't have anything to give to Aeolus."

****"Then we'll have nothing to give Aeolus," Jason said. "We'll have come all this way for nothing."** **

****Lycaon laughed. "I can smell your fear. A few more minutes of life, heroes. Pray to whatever gods you wish. Zeus did not grant me mercy,** **

"You were expecting mercy after what you did to me?" Zeus grumbled.

****and you will** ** ****have none from me."** **

****...Then a ripping sound cut through the wind—like a piece of tearing cardboard. A long stick sprouted from the neck of the nearest wolf—the shaft of a** ** ****silver arrow. The wolf writhed and fell, melting into a puddle of shadow.** **

Numerous sighs of relief could be heard in the room.

****More arrows. More wolves fell. The pack broke in confusion. An arrow flashed toward Lycaon, but the wolf king caught it in midair. Then he yelled in** ** ****pain... Another arrow caught him in the shoulder, and the wolf king** ** ****staggered.** **

****"Curse them!" Lycaon yelled. He growled at his pack, and the wolves turned and ran. Lycaon fixed Jason with those glowing red eyes. "This isn't** ** ****over, boy."** **

"Whatever." Thalia said with a small smile.

****The wolf king disappeared into the night.** **

****Seconds later, Piper heard more wolves baying, but the sound was different—less threatening, more like hunting dogs on the scent. A smaller white** ** ****wolf burst into the cave, followed by two more.** **

"Finally! I thought we'd never show up!" Thalia said loudly, stretching her arms.

"No kidding," another hunter said. "We should've caught up to them already."

****Hedge said, "Kill it?"** **

"No," Phoebe rolled her eyes.

Leo straightened the wrinkles out of his pants.

****The wolves tilted their heads and studied the campers with huge golden eyes.** **

****A heartbeat later, their masters appeared: a troop of hunters in white-and-gray winter camouflage, at least half a dozen...** **

The hunters shared smiles.

****...One, a little taller than the rest, crouched in the firelight and snatched up** ** ****the arrow that had wounded Lycaon's hand.** **

****"So close." She turned to her companions. "Phoebe, stay with me. Watch the entrance. The rest of you, follow Lycaon. We can't lose him now. I'll** ** ****catch up with you."** **

****The other hunters mumbled agreement and disappeared, heading after Lycaon's pack.** **

****...Jason stood frozen, staring at the girl. Piper realized something about her voice sounded familiar. It was hard to pin down, but the way she spoke, the way she formed her words, reminded her of Jason.** **

"Really?" Thalia smiled, she couldn't help the warm feeling at that. _It's nice to know we have some things in common._

****"You're her," Piper guessed. "You're Thalia."** **

****The girl tensed. Piper was afraid she might draw her bow, but instead she pulled down her parka hood. Her hair was spiky black, with a silver tiara** ** ****across her brow. Her face had a super-healthy glow to it, as if she were a little more than human, and her eyes were brilliant blue. She was the girl from** ** ****Jason's photograph.** **

****"Do I know you?" Thalia asked.** **

****Piper took a breath. "This might be a shock, but—"** **

****"Thalia." Jason stepped forward, his voice trembling. "I'm Jason, your brother."** **

~~~~"That's the end of the chapter." Nyssa said.

"I'll read next!" Thalia said, eager to hear Jason's point of view.

She took the book and looked at the next chapter.

_Oh._ Her shoulders slumped. " ** **Leo XXXV**** ," she read with a frown, not bothering to hide her disappointment. _I thought this would've been in Jason's point of view._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *~ Behold, the powers of Google Translate


	36. Leo XXXV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3.Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" ** **Leo** XXXV**," Thalia began with a slight frown.

 _I guess I won't be seeing Jason's reaction after all._ she sighed.

 ~~~~"Can I go stretch walk around or something? I think my legs are falling asleep!" Leo complained, bouncing said limb. _When was the last time we took a break? Can't we just take another one?_

Thalia rolled her eyes.

"No." Zeus said.

Drumming his fingers on the wall, Leo sighed.

**Leo figured he had the worst luck in the group, and that was saying a lot.**

"It can't be that bad... Not as bad as mine." Percy said.

"If my luck was better than yours, I wouldn't be here." Leo stated. 

 **Why didn't _he_ get to have the long-lost sister or the movie star dad who needed ** **rescuing?**

A couple people looked at him oddly.

"I don't think you'd really want that." Katie told Leo.

"It's still better than what I got..." Leo muttered, stretching his arms.

He began to count the number of cracks on the ceiling.

**All he got was a tool belt and a dragon that broke down halfway through the quest...**

The Hephaestus kids winced.

"Don't think of it like that..." Jake said.

 **A thousand years from now, when this quest was being told around a campfire, he figured people would talk about brave Jason, beautiful Piper, and** **their sidekick Flaming Valdez...**

"At least they'll mention you!" Connor tried to joke.

Leo shrugged. "That's true, I guess."

 **If that wasn't bad enough, Leo fell in love with every girl he saw—as long as she was totally out of his league.** Thalia grimaced. _Poor Phoebe. I hope he doesn't bother her too much..._

Leo cringed. _Oh yeah, of course this would come up._

Aphrodite perked up.

" _Oooooh!_ I smell a forbidden romance!" the goddess sang before laughing.

Some of the demigods (and Apollo) laughed along as well, although they seemed to think something else was funny.

He followed their gazes and winced when he noticed the seething expressions on the hunters faces.

Artemis especially looked livid.

"The only thing you smell is the overpriced perfume you drowned yourself in this morning!" the goddess snapped at Aphrodite. Aphrodite payed her no mind as she continued cackling to herself. Artemis sneered at her one last time, before scowling at Leo.

"And as for you, _boy_ ," the goddess said sternly. Leo gulped. "If you know what's good for you, stay away from my hunters!"

"Don't be like that, Artie!" Apollo chuckled, wrapping his arm around his sister's shoulders.

"Don't call me that." Artemis shrugged the arm off.

"He hasn't even done anything yet!" the god defended.

" _Yet!_ " Aphrodite emphasized, wiggling her eyebrows.

Artemis loaded her arrow and aimed it at the goddess's head. 

"He's just thinking about it, no harm done." Apollo put his hand on the bow and lowered it. 

Artemis grinded her teeth but put the arrow away. She still clutched on to her bow like she was just waiting for a moment to strike.

Apollo turned to Leo and grinned.

" _Sooo_ ," he began. "Who's the lucky girl?"

"I don't like her anymore!" Leo quickly answered.

"Now, now!" Aphrodite cooed. "Don't let that mean old Artemis scare you off! I can sense you have strong feelings for someone!"

Calypso briefly flashed in his mind before Leo scowled.

"I don't have a crush on anyone! Especially _her!_ " he snapped before he could stop himself.

Aphrodite looked giddy. 

Leo wanted to bash his head against the wall.

"I love it when they're in denial, it's so much fun to watch them squirm!" she eagerly said.

"I'm not in denial!" Leo argued.

"Of course you're not, sweetie!" she said with a toothy smile. " _Now_ , let's see who this mystery girl is!"

 _Can't wait._ the daughter of Zeus thought sarcastically. She picked up where she left off.

 **When he first saw Thalia,** After silently reading the last part of the sentence to herself, Thalia had stopped reading and slowly looked up at Leo. She stared him down with a stony look on her face.

"Are you serious?" she said flatly. _Out of all the people, why'd it have to be me?_

" _Ooooh!_ What does it say? What does it say?" Aphrodite asked, practically dancing in her throne. "Don't keep us in suspense!"

"You're way too excited about this..." Leo commented, brushing his hair back. _I think I liked it better when she was focused on Jason and Piper or Percy and Annabeth._

Thalia continued staring at Leo for a moment, before finally giving in to Aphrodite's demands and kept reading.

 **Leo** **immediately thought she was way too pretty to be Jason's sister.** Thalia's eye twitched.

" _Awwww!_ " the goddess of love cooed. "You have a little crush on Thalia?"

 ~~~~"I _had_ a little crush on Thalia, but that's over now." Leo corrected. He couldn't help but worriedly glance at the hunters, who were all huddled together and seemly conspiring his demise.

"It was so long ago and I was so young back then!" he said dramatically, putting his hand over his heart.

 _I doubt it was that long ago._ Annabeth thought. _He makes this sound like a preschool crush._

Travis grabbed Leo and pulled him into a headlock.

"You sure that's not your denial speaking, _Mr. Grace?_ " he challenged with a smile. He emphasized the name as he gave him a noogie.

Even as he clawed Travis's arm in an attempt to escape, Leo rolled his eyes.

"Of course, _you'd_ be getting a kick out of this." He attempted to pull his head free. He punched the other boy's arm when it didn't work. Travis laughed victoriously and ruffled his hair faster. "Okay! Okay! _Uncle!_ You win!"

After being released, Leo immediately tried to fix his hair.

He huffed. "And for your information, _no_ , it's not denial. I don't have a crush on anyone."

"It's okay to be honest," Connor grinned. "The hunters won't hurt you... much."

"I am being honest!" Leo groaned.

 **Then he thought he'd better not say that or he'd get in** **trouble.**

 ~~~~ _Too late._ the son of Hephaestus thought, crossing his arms. He tapped his foot. _Why does this have to happen to me?_

"H- **He** l- **liked**... Oh my gods, I can't read this!" Thalia gagged. The hunter beside her, Naomi, sympathetically patted her back, then glared at Leo as if it was _his_ fault she volunteered to read this chapter.

"How about we don't read this?" Leo suggested. "Let's just forget this chapter ever happened and skip to Jason's point of view instead?"

"Nah! Let's keep reading!" Travis happily said. He and Connor snickered at the side-eye Leo gave him.

"Yes! We have to read everything!" Aphrodite readily agreed. "For the sake of the future!"

The goddess giggled and outreached her hand. "If you don't want to read, give me the book."

 ~~~~Never had Thalia moved faster to give someone a book.

Aphrodite rested the book in her lap. She gave Leo a mischievous smile.

" _Now_ , where were we?" she hummed before reading.

**He liked her dark hair,**

Travis pretended to flip his imaginary long hair.

Leo sighed and fiddled with the buttons on his coat.

**her blue eyes,**

With a very manly giggle, Connor batted his eyes at Leo.

The son of Hephaestus blankly stared at him and Travis.

"I hate you guys." Leo stated. The Stolls laughed.

"We love you too!" Connor and Travis sang cheerfully in unison. Travis ruffled Leo's hair.

"Stop!" Leo slapped his hands away. He turned to the others in the room. "Can I _please_ switch spots with someone?!"

Some of the readers just continued watching on with amusement, not even lifting a finger to help him. Hermes and Hestia were watching the bickering with fond smiles.

 _How long is this chapter going to last?_   Leo inwardly groaned. _I don't think me or my hair can take anymore of this._

Leo sighed before recounting the number of cracks on the ceiling.

 **and her confident attitude. She looked like the kind of girl who could stomp anybody on the ball court or the battlefield, and wouldn't give Leo the time of day—just Leo's type!** Aphrodite read in between her laughter.

Thalia had a full body shudder.

 ~~~~Artemis narrowed her eyes as she sized Leo up. _I wonder how fast he would run as a jackalope?_

**For a minute, Jason and Thalia faced each other, stunned.**

~~~~Thalia mentally pushed away the disturbing news about Leo and focused on Jason's reaction. _If I'm not going to hear it, this is the best that I'm ever going to get._

**... [Thalia] "My gods! She told me you were dead!"**

Thalia scowled.

 **She gripped Jason's face and seemed to be examining everything about it. "Thank Artemis, it is you. That** **little scar on your lip—you tried to eat a stapler when you were two!"**

 ~~~~ ~~~~Apollo, Hermes, and the Stolls laughed.

Thalia grinned.

"Seriously?" Connor said, snickering.

"It was so bad, I don't even remember how he got it." the lieutenant admitted. "I just remember him screaming and seeing a staple stuck to his lip."

Thalia laughed. "Gods, I acted like he was gonna die."

**...Hedge nodded like he approved of Jason's taste. "Staplers —excellent source of iron."**

~~~~"I hate it when they get stuck in my teeth, but they're pretty good." Grover said with a shrug.

**"W-wait," Jason stammered. "Who told you I was dead? What happened?"**

**At the cave entrance, one of the white wolves barked...** **[Thalia] "My wolf is telling me I don't have much time, and she's right. But we have to talk. Let's sit."**

**Piper did better than that. She collapsed.**

Aphrodite paled.

"What happened?" Lacy gasped.

Will worriedly frowned. "She probably overexerted herself."

**...Thalia rushed over. "What's wrong with her? Ah—never mind. I see. Hypothermia. Ankle." She frowned at the satyr. "Don't you know nature healing?"**

**Hedge scoffed. "Why do you think she looks this good?** **Can't you smell the Gatorade?"**

"What is he talking about? She just collapsed!" Aphrodite exclaimed.

 ~~~~Will sighed. _Hopefully the hunters have better healers._

 **Thalia looked at Leo for the first time, and of course it was an accusatory glare, like** **_Why did you let the goat be a doctor?_ ** **As if that was Leo's fault.**

"Poor guy!" Travis said in mock sympathy.

"Mission failed! Don't worry Commander Tool belt, you'll get her next time!" Connor added.

Leo groaned. _I just want to go back to my time period, that's all I want._

**"You and the satyr," Thalia ordered, "take this girl to my friend at the entrance.**

" _Great._ Now I'm stuck with him." Phoebe said sarcastically.

"You know I need to talk to my brother alone." Thalia said, although she looked guilty.

"I know." she sighed. "You're lucky I like you, Thals."

"Com'on, I'm not that bad!" Leo protested.

The girls stared back at him as if he crawled out of a sewer. 

 **P** **hoebe's an excellent healer."**

Phoebe smiled at that.

**"It's cold out there!" Hedge said. "I'll freeze my horns off."**

**But Leo knew when they weren't wanted. "Come on, Hedge. These two need time to talk."**

Thalia nodded her head. She was still disappointed that she wouldn't see Jason's reaction, but she hoped she would learn his feelings when he talks to Piper or Leo about it.

**...Hedge carried Piper toward the entrance. Leo was about to follow when Jason called, "Actually, man, could you, um, stick around?"**

Thalia blinked. "Huh?"

**Leo saw something in Jason's eyes he didn't expect: Jason was asking for support. He wanted somebody else there. He was scared.**

Thalia frowned at this.

"He's probably more nervous than he is scared. This is ~~~~the first time he seen you in years." Annabeth reminded her. ~~~~

Thalia still didn't look to happy about Leo being there for a private moment between her and her brother, but didn't comment.

**Leo grinned. "Sticking around is my specialty."**

**Thalia didn't look too happy about it, but the three of them sat at the fire. For a few minutes, nobody spoke. Jason studied his sister like she was a** **scary device—one that might explode if handled incorrectly. Thalia seemed more at ease, as if she was used to stumbling across stranger things than** **long-lost relatives.**

 ~~~~"I wasn't. I'm just better at hiding it than Jay." she said, plucking her bow.

**But still she regarded Jason in a kind of amazed trance, maybe remembering a little two-year-old who tried to eat a stapler....**

" **Finally he couldn't stand the silence. "So ... the Hunters of Artemis. This whole 'not dating' thing—is that like always, or more of a seasonal thing, or what?"** _Pppffftt!_ " Aphrodite broke out into a fit of laughter.

The hunters' glares intensified.

"Sorry buddy. The whole 'not dating' thing is permanent." Apollo chuckled.

**Thalia stared at him as if he'd just evolved from pond scum.**

"Give him a chance, Thalia! Leo's a good boy!" Aphrodite encouraged.

"He's funny. He's smart. He's a good cook." she listed off. She briefly looked over Leo before adding: "And he's kinda cute, in a scrawny wet cat kind of way!"

The Stolls laughed.

 _Is Piper's mom trying to be my wingwoman?_ Leo thought, blinking slowly. "This day is getting weirder and weirder..."

 ~~~~"I can totally help you if you want!" the goddess enthusiastically said. "You'll love it! Being in a relationship is one of the greatest things in the world!"

Aphrodite smiled and leaned her head back, just in time to miss Artemis's arrow.

The arrow whizzed past her and lodged itself in a nearby pillar.

"I'm not breaking my vow!" Thalia said firmly. "Even if I wasn't a hunter of Artemis, I still wouldn't date Leo. He reminds me too much of Percy."

"First Jason, now Leo. Does every guy you know remind you of me?" Percy asked.

"Only when they act stupid." she easily replied, playfully rolling her eyes.

"Thanks, feeling the love!" Percy responded, pretending to look wounded.

**Yeah, he was definitely liking this girl.**

The hunters began notching their arrows.

**Jason kicked him in the shin.**

_Thank you Jason. I really needed that._ Artemis thought.

**"Don't mind Leo. He's just trying to break the ice.**

"For his sake, I hope that was all he was trying to do." Hephaestus muttered, rubbing his temples. _Who does he get this behavior from? It couldn't have been from me._

 **But, Thalia ... what happened to our family? Who told you I was** **dead?"**

Thalia sighed.

 **Thalia tugged at a silver bracelet on her wrist. In the firelight, in her winter camouflage, she almost looked like Khione the snow princess—just as** **cold and beautiful.**

Thalia glared at Leo.

"I'm nothing like her." she hissed.

"That's no way to win the girl you like." the goddess of love chided. "You never compare your crush to former crushes." _Especially to someone like Khione._

Leo's shoulders slumped.

"I'm really getting tired of saying this," he said. "I don't like Thalia."

"Uh-huh." Travis said. "You just like her big blue eyes and her luscious black hair!"

"Can I leave?" Leo asked no one in particular.

**"Do you remember anything?" she asked.**

**...Jason explained about their quest—the prophecy at camp, Hera getting imprisoned, the giant taking Piper's dad, and the winter solstice deadline.**

**Leo chimed in to add the important stuff: how he'd fixed the bronze dragon, could throw fireballs, and made excellent tacos.**

Thalia rolled her eyes.

**Thalia was a good listener. Nothing seemed to surprise her—the monsters, the prophecies, the dead rising.**

"Other than the dead rising, I'm used to everything else."

 **But when Jason mentioned King Midas,** **she cursed in Ancient Greek.**

 **"I knew we should've burned down his mansion," she said. "That man's a menace. But we were so intent on following Lycaon—Well, I'm glad you got** **away. So Hera's been ... what, hiding you all these years?"**

Thalia shot said goddess a heated glare.

**"I don't know." Jason brought out the photo from his pocket. "She left me just enough memory to recognize your face."**

**... [Jason] "I think Hera wanted for us to meet. When we landed here, at this cave ... I had a feeling it was important. Like I knew you were close** **by. Is that crazy?"**

**"Nah," Leo assured him. "We were absolutely destined to meet your hot sister."**

With a yelp, Leo ducked. He narrowly missed the arrow that zoomed past where his throat should be.

"Aim a little higher next time, Celin." Phoebe instructed the hunter. "That's where the jugular is."

**Thalia ignored him. Probably because she just didn't want to let on how much Leo impressed her.**

"Yeah. That's it." Thalia said sarcastically.

"I must say, I'm very impressed that you haven't said or done anything to the boy." Artemis complimented her.

Thalia shrugged. "It's like listening to Percy, sometimes it's better to just ignore him and let him talk."

"Hey!" Percy protested.

 **"Jason," she said, "when you're dealing with the gods, nothing is too crazy. But you can't trust Hera, especially since we're children of Zeus. She** **hates all children of Zeus."**

Hera made no sign of disagreement.

**"But she said something about Zeus giving her my life as a peace offering. Does that make any sense?"**

"She's awful." Thalia grumbled. _It doesn't matter that Jason was Roman and I was Greek, she shouldn't have let Hera separate us._

 **...Thalia's features seemed to grow older in the firelight, like her immortality wasn't working so well. "Jason ... I'm not sure how to say this.** **Our mom** **wasn't exactly stable.**

Thalia grimaced. _Underestimate of the year._

 **She caught Zeus's eye because she was a television actress...but she didn't handle the fame well. She** **drank, pulled stupid stunts... She could never get enough attention.**

"We're actually going through details..." Thalia winced. She wouldn't have minded if it was just Jason, but with Leo there and the others listening in, it made the retelling more awkward and sensitive.

Leo shifted around, looking just as uncomfortable as he did back at the cave.

He pulled the shoelace out of his sneaker.

 **Even before you were born, she and I argued all the** **time. She ... she knew Dad was Zeus, and I think that was too much for her to take. It was like the ultimate achievement for her to attract the lord of the** **sky, and she couldn't accept it when he left.**

 _I never should have told her._ the god thought.

Hera scoffed and rolled her eyes.

**The thing about the gods... well, they don't hang around."**

**Leo remembered his own mom, the way she'd assured him over and over that his dad would be back someday...** **She didn't seem to want Hephaestus for herself—only so Leo could know his father. She'd dealt with working a dead-end job, living in a tiny apartment,** **never having enough money—and she'd seemed fine with it long as she had Leo, she always said, life would be okay.**

Hephaestus smiled sadly.

 ~~~~ ~~~~Thalia couldn't help but feel a pang of annoyance that Leo would bring up his mother now.

 _Is now really a good time to bring up how great your mom was?_ she thought.

**He watched Jason's face—looking more and more devastated as Thalia described their mom—and for once, Leo didn't feel jealous of his friend.**

"Good, there's nothing to be jealous about." Thalia muttered. _He's been through a lot..._

 **Leo might have lost his mom. He might have had some hard times. But at least he remembered her...** **He felt bad for Jason, not having memories like that—not having anything to fall back on.**

**"So ..." Jason didn't seem able to finish the question.**

**"Jason, you got friends," Leo told him. "Now you got a sister. You're not alone."**

"You're not alone either, Thalia." Annabeth said in a comforting manner. She moved over until she was sitting next to her.

 ~~~~"I know." she said under her breath.

Leo tied little knots on the stray shoelace.

 **"When I was about seven," she said, "Zeus started visiting Mom again. I think he felt bad about wrecking her life, and he seemed—different** **somehow. A little older and sterner, more fatherly toward me.**

Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows. "Is that the Jupiter side of him?" 

"I think so." Thalia shrugged. _That'd explain why he was so willing to bond with me._

She felt bad that she preferred that side of her father as opposed to his Greek form.

 **For a while, Mom improved. She loved having Zeus around, bringing her presents, causing** **the sky to rumble.**

Hera gritted her teeth.

 **She always wanted more attention. That's the year you were born. Mom ... well, I never got along with her, but you gave me a reason to** **hang around. You were so cute.** **And I didn't trust Mom to look after you. Of course, Zeus eventually stopped coming by again. He probably couldn't stand Mom's demands anymore,** **always pestering him to let her visit Olympus, or to make her immortal or eternally beautiful.**

Zeus made a face at the memories. _She was so demanding._

Thalia tried not to remember the stupid arguments they would have. _If she wasn't arguing with him, she was having a screaming match with me. If she wasn't screaming at me, then she was drinking or out doing something dumb for the press._

She suppressed the urge to sigh. _I'm glad Jason was too young to remember this crap._

 **When he left for good, Mom got more and more unstable.** **That was about the time the monsters started attacking me. Mom blamed Hera. She claimed the goddess was coming after you too—that Hera had** **barely tolerated my birth, but two demigod children from the same family was too big an insult.**

"It wasn't all my fault." the goddess glanced at Hades, who shrugged nonchalantly. 

 **Mom even said she hadn't wanted to name you Jason, but** **Zeus insisted, as a way to appease Hera because the goddess liked that name.**

 _If it didn't work for Heracles, it won't work for you._ Hera crossed her arms. _Honestly, I don't know why they always think that would work._

**I didn't know what to believe."**

**... [Leo] He felt like an intruder. He shouldn't be listening to this...**

"You really shouldn't." Thalia murmured in agreement. 

**"How did you guys get separated?" he asked.**

**...[Thalia] "If I'd known you were alive ... gods, things would've been so different. But when you were two, Mom packed us** **in the car for a family vacation. We drove up north, toward the wine country, to this park she wanted to show us. I remember thinking it was strange** **because Mom never took us anywhere, and she was acting super nervous. I was holding your hand, walking you toward this big building in the middle of** **the park, and ..."**

Thalia released a shaky sigh.

**..."Mom told me to go back to the car and get the picnic basket. I didn't want to leave you alone with her...When I came back ... Mom was kneeling on the stone steps, hugging herself and crying. She said—she said you were gone.**

Annabeth took Thalia's hand and gave it a squeeze.

 **She said Hera claimed you and you were as good as dead. I didn't know what she'd done. I was afraid she'd completely lost her mind. I ran all over the** **place looking for you, but you'd just vanished. She had to drag me away, kicking and screaming. For the next few days I was hysterical. I don't remember** **everything, but I called the police on Mom and they questioned her for a long time. Afterward, we fought. She told me I'd betrayed her, that I should** **support her, like she was the only one who mattered.**

Thalia briefly squeezed her eyes shut and tried to ignore the pitying looks.

 **Finally I couldn't stand it. Your disappearance was the last straw. I ran away from home, and I never** **went back..I thought you were gone forever. I never told anyone about you—not even Annabeth or Luke, my** **two best friends. It was just too painful."**

 ~~~~ _It's still painful now._ Thalia bit her lip. _Is this how Leo feels when we read his chapters?_

She chewed her lip a bit harder at that.

 _Why would Nemesis make him go through something like this?_ she wondered. _I get the whole 'saving the future' part, but why have it done like this?_

 She could barely stand listening to this passage, she couldn't imagine a whole chapter (or, gods-forbid, a book) told in her point-of-view.

**"Chiron knew." Jason's voice sounded far away. "When I got to camp, he took one look at me and said, 'You should be dead.'"**

Thalia's frown deepened.

"That's the thing that I don't get," she said. "I never told him about Jay."

Annabeth frowned as well.

"Maybe he thought Jason died in the Titan War?" she guessed.

"Maybe." the daughter of Zeus said uncertainly.

**..."Hey," Leo said. "Important thing is you've got each other now, right? You two are lucky."**

"That's true." Thalia said. _I'm glad I saw him again. I wish we talked about different things though._

 **Thalia nodded. "Leo's right.** Aphrodite gave Leo a thumbs up as she read this. **Look at you. You're my age. You've grown up."**

 ~~~~"It's kinda weird how we're the same age." Thalia admitted. "We could pass as twins now."

**"But where have I been?" Jason said. "How could I be missing all that time? And the Roman stuff ..."**

**...Leo pointed out the marks on Jason's arm. Then** **he gave Thalia the rundown about the other weird stuff that had happened...**

 **Thalia plucked her bowstring. "Latin. Zeus sometimes spoke Latin, the second time he stayed with Mom. Like I said, he seemed different, more** **formal."**

**"You think he was in his Roman aspect?" Jason asked. "And that's why I think of myself as a child of Jupiter?"**

The demigods stiffened.

"Does he know that or is he just guessing?" Mitchell asked.

"I dunno, if he's guessing, it's weird that he hasn't figured it out yet." Connor said.

 **"Possibly," Thalia said. "I've never heard of something like that happening, but it might explain why you think in Roman terms, why you can speak** **Latin rather than Ancient Greek. That would make you unique. Still, it doesn't explain how you've survived without Camp Half-Blood. A child of Zeus, or** **Jupiter, or whatever you want to call him—you would've been hounded by monsters. If you were on your own, you should've died years ago. I know I** **wouldn't have been able to survive without friends.**

Thalia and Annabeth exchanged small smiles.

**You would've needed training, a safe haven—"**

**"He wasn't alone," Leo blurted out. "We've heard about others like him."**

**...Leo told her about the slashed-up purple shirt in Medea's department store, and the story the Cyclopes told about the child of Mercury**

"Could we please stop mentioning his name?" Hermes pleaded, clutching his throbbing head.

Aphrodite gave him an apologetic smile before she continued to read.

 **who spoke** **Latin.**

 **"Isn't there anywhere else for demigods?" Leo asked. "I mean besides Camp Half-Blood? Maybe some crazy Latin teacher has been abducting** **children of the gods or something, making them think like Romans."**

"Close, but no cigar." Apollo said.

"I wonder where they could be." Annabeth said thoughtfully. _They could live in California, that would explain how they managed to go to Mount Othrys. But I've never heard of a group of demigods living there. Maybe they're from the surrounding states?_

**...Thalia shook her head. "I'll have to talk to the goddess. Maybe Artemis will guide us."**

**"She's still talking to you?" Jason asked. "Most of the gods have gone silent."**

**"Artemis follows her own rules," Thalia said. "She has to be careful not to let Zeus know, but she thinks Zeus is being ridiculous closing Olympus.** **She's the one who set us on the trail of Lycaon. She said we'd find a lead to a missing friend of ours."**

Zeus gave the goddess a look of disapproval.

Artemis remained unfazed.

The other gods appeared unsurprised by Artemis's actions.

"My little sis, the rebel." Apollo grinned.

The goddess rolled her eyes, "We both know that I'm the oldest."

"You like to act the oldest, but we know who's the older sibling here." Apollo reached out to pat her head.

Artemis easily swatted his hand away.

Apollo immediately pulled his hand back and held it close to his chest. His eyes were wide with betrayal.

" _Artie!_ " he gasped.

"Quit being over dramatic." Artemis told him. "And stop calling me that."

**"Percy Jackson," Leo guessed. "The guy Annabeth is looking for."**

**Thalia nodded, her face full of concern.**

**Leo wondered if anyone had ever looked that worried all the times he'd disappeared. He kind of doubted it.**

Hephaestus winced.

 _I guess I'll find out when I get back to the ship._ Leo thought, twirling the shoelace around.

**...The white wolf appeared again at the doorway and yipped insistently.**

**"I have to get moving." Thalia stood. "Otherwise I'll lose the other Hunters' trail. First, though, I'll take you to Aeolus's palace."**

**"If you can't, it's okay," Jason said, though he sounded kind of distressed.**

"Oh, please." Thalia smiled and rolled her eyes. "You're not getting rid me that easily!"

 **"Oh, please." Thalia smiled and helped him up. "I haven't had a brother in years. I think I can stand a few minutes with you before you get annoying.** **Now, let's go!"**

"Finished." Aphrodite said. "Does anybody want to read next?"

"I read." Apollo said, taking the book from her.

" **Leo XXXVI** ," the sun god read.


	37. Leo XXXVI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3.Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" **Leo XXXVI** ," the sun god read.

 _Are we almost done, yet? Seriously, we should be more than halfway done by now._ Leo groaned. He kicked his laceless shoe.

 **When Leo saw how well Piper and Hedge were being treated, he was thoroughly offended.** **He'd imagined them freezing their hindquarters off in the snow, but the Hunter Phoebe had set up this silver tent pavilion thing right outside the cave.**

Phoebe heaved a sigh of annoyance. "Why would we leave her outside in the cold, when she has hypothermia?"

"How'd you set up a tent that fast?" Travis asked. "They couldn't have taken that long."

Phoebe didn't reply. She just glared at him as if thinking if she glared hard enough he'll melt.

 _I guess she's still sore about the whole 'poisoned centaur blood' thing._ Travis thought quickly looking away and moving behind Connor.

**...inside was a kerosene heater keeping them toasty warm and a bunch of comfy throw pillows. Piper looked back to normal, decked out in a new parka, gloves, and camo pants like a Hunter. She and Hedge and Phoebe were kicking back, drinking hot chocolate.**

"Excellent work, Phoebe." Artemis complimented.

Said hunter beamed. "Thank you milady!"

 **"Oh, no way," Leo said. "We've been sitting in a cave and you get the luxury tent? Somebody give me hypothermia. I want hot chocolate and a parka!** **"**

Artemis and her hunters rolled their eyes.

**Phoebe sniffed. "Boys," she said, like it was the worst insult she could think of.**

"Either that or 'men'." Phoebe spat out.

**...Phoebe grumbled, but soon Leo and Jason were also dressed in silvery winter clothes that were incredibly lightweight and warm.**

Will nodded his head in approval. 

 **The hot chocolate** **was first-rate.**

"Was it as good as the Romans?" Athena innocently asked.

Leo bit back a remark and breathed heavily through his nose.

 _Don't comment, Valdez._ he thought. _It's not worth it._

He spun his shoelace around like a lasso.

**"Cheers!" said Coach Hedge. He crunched down his plastic thermos cup.**

**"That cannot be good for your intestines," Leo said.**

"Only if you're not a satyr." Grover shrugged.

 **Thalia patted Piper on the back. "You up for moving?".** **.."She's tough for a child of Aphrodite. I like this one."**

**"Hey, I could run ten miles too," Leo volunteered. "Tough Hephaestus kid here. Let's hit it."**

The other hunters looked at him before they burst out laughing.

"Tough Hephaestus kid?" Naomi giggled. "Where? All I see is a scrawny wet cat!"

The hunters laughed harder.

Hephaestus glared at them.

"A _cute_ scrawny wet cat." Leo corrected over them.

**Naturally, Thalia ignored him.**

" _Aww!_ Com'on Thalia, he's trying so hard to impress you!" Aphrodite cooed to the daughter of Zeus. "You sure you're not interested? 'Cause he's really interested in you!"

Phoebe snorted in between her laughter, Thalia just sighed.

"I'm sure." she said dryly.

"I'm really not." Leo added in a similar monotone voice.

Aphrodite smiled. Her hair began to grow darker and darker until it was pitch black.

"You sure about that?" the goddess giggled, fluttering her now electric blue eyes.

She expected him to start blushing bright red or refuse to meet her eyes altogether, but Leo didn't do either of those things. If anything, he just looked confused as he took in the transformation.

"Uh, _yeah._ " Leo said, not even sputtering. "I'm positive."

He turned to Annabeth and stage whispered: "What's up with the new look?"

Surprisingly, it was Percy who answered.

"She has the ability to change her appearance based off what people consider to be attractive." he told him, then Percy shrugged. "Judging by your reaction, I guess you're not into Thalia anymore."

Leo rolled his eyes. " _Duh!_ That's what I've been trying to tell you!"

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"

Percy hesitated, his face turning a bit pink as he looked around the room. 

"Er… In the limo... she kinda looked like a T.V. actress I had a crush on in 5th grade..." _And you._ Percy almost blurted out before he stopped himself.

Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows. "What?"

"It's nothing! Just forget it! It was stupid anyway!" he immediately said.

"Oh no, I gotta now what happened now. How did you meet Aphrodite and when was this?" Annabeth grinned.

"It's a long story!" Percy hastily replied.

"Well, I want to hear it!"

As the two bickered, the goddess of love pouted as she crossed her arms. _Darn. I really wanted to see those two get together. That would've_ _been cute. I would've loved to see the look on Artemis's face. _Her hair shimmered into a chocolate brown shade.

 **...** **Thalia ran uphill through the snow, hugging a tiny little path on the side of the mountain, and soon Leo was regretting trying to look macho, because** **the Hunters left him in the dust.**

The hunters' laughter grew louder at this.

"It's not that funny.. _._ " the son of Hephaestus muttered, wiggling the shoelace back and forth.

 **Coach Hedge leaped around like a happy mountain goat, coaxing them on like he used to do on track days at school. "Come on, Valdez! Pick up** **the pace! Let's chant. _I've got a girl in Kalamazoo-_ **_Oh!_ I like this song!" Apollo smiled brightly as he sang the rest of the tune. " _Don't wanta boast but I know she's the toast of Kalamazoo-_ "*

"We get it!" Artemis cut in.

Apollo pouted at the interruption but continued reading.

**...Leo fell in next to Jason at the back of the group. "How you doing, man?"**

**Jason's expression was enough of an answer: _Not good._**

_I did give him a of information._ Thalia reasoned.  _Maybe I shouldn't tell him about Mother until after he comes back from his quest..._

 **"Thalia takes it so calmly," Jason said. "Like it's no big deal that I appeared. I didn't know what I was expecting, but ... she's not like me. She seems** **so much more together."**

"That's cause I'm just better at hiding it." she murmured. Thalia hoped that he didn't think of her behavior as dismissive or unwilling to have a close relationship.

Leo wrapped the shoelace around his arm.

**"Hey, she's not fighting amnesia," Leo said...**

**"Maybe," Jason said. "I just wish I understood what happened when I was two, why my mom got rid of me. Thalia ran away because of me."**

_It wasn't your fault Jay._ Thalia thought with a wince. _You shouldn't feel guilty about this._

 **"Hey, whatever's happened, it wasn't your fault and your sister is pretty cool.** **She's a lot like you."**

**Jason took that in silence. Leo wondered if he'd said the right things.**

"You did the best you could do." Hestia commented.

 **He wanted to make Jason feel better, but this was way outside his comfort** **zone.** **Leo wished he could reach inside his tool belt and pick just the right wrench to fix Jason's memory—maybe a little hammer—bonk the sticking spot** **and make everything run right. That would be a lot easier than trying to talk it through.**

"Sounds familiar." Hermes said with amusement, he purposely looked at the god of fire.

"Yeah, thanks for those inherited traits, Hephaestus." Leo said sarcastically, pulling the shoelace off.

Hephaestus gave Leo a sheepish smile.

"Sorry."

"He can't help it." Aphrodite told him.

 **He was so lost in thought, he didn't realize the Hunters had stopped. He slammed into Thalia and nearly sent them both down the side of the** **mountain the hard way.**

Thalia paled.

Zeus, Artemis, and the hunters gave Leo murderous glares.

Leo gave the daughter of Zeus an apologetic grin. "My bad."

"Yes it is 'your bad'." Artemis said icily.

**...They stood near the summit of Pikes Peak. Below them the world was blanketed in clouds. The air was so thin, Leo could hardly breathe...**

**But the real show was above them. Hovering in the sky, about a quarter mile away, was a massive free-floating island of glowing purple stone...** **The sides were rugged cliffs, riddled with caves, and** **every once in a while a gust of wind burst out with a sound like a pipe organ the top of the rock, brass walls ringed some kind of a fortress.** **The only thing connecting Pikes Peak to the floating island was a narrow bridge of ice that glistened in the moonlight.**

"Wow..." Katie breathed. "It's huge."

The demigods took in the description with looks of awe.

Zeus scoffed.

"It's a decent size for a man in Aeolus's position," he said. "But it's nowhere near as big as Olympus."

Poseidon couldn't help but snort.

"You honestly believe that a kingdom large enough to fit into a building is big?" the god of the sea commented. "You've clearly haven't visited my domain in a while, little brother."

 _Here we go..._ Hades and a few other gods rolled their eyes as soon as they heard Poseidon's response.

Zeus's eye twitched.

"And what do you mean by that, Poseidon?" he demanded.

Said god looked surprised. 

"Isn't it obvious? My kingdom is bigger than yours." he stated. He looked around the still demolished throne room with an unimpressed once over.

"It has (or had in some parts) nice interior decorating and I'm sure Annabeth will do a wonderful job redesigning the place," he nodded to said girl. "But it'll never bee anywhere as extravagant or big as my ocean kingdom."

"You've got some nerve saying that in _my_   throne room." Zeus growled.

His brother shrugged.

"Just stating facts."

Zeus gritted his teeth but before he could retort, Hera butt in.

"Please not this foolish argument again!" she turned to Apollo. "Keep reading or we'll never hear the end of this!"

Apollo blinked in mock hurt. "No 'please'?"

Hera narrowed her eyes.

" _Now._ " she ordered.

He grumbled something under his breath but he continued reading.

 **Then Leo realized the bridge wasn't exactly ice, because it wasn't solid. As the winds changed direction, the bridge snaked around—blurring and** **thinning, in some places even breaking into a dotted line like the vapor trail of a plane.**

"That sounds stable." Nico said sarcastically.

"It should be fine. Aeolus would make it sturdy for them to cross." Annabeth said, before saying to herself: "But it could've been done better. I bet I could think of more sturdier materials."

**..."Is the fortress always hanging there?" Piper asked. "How can people not notice it sitting on top of Pikes Peak?"**

"The Mist is powerful magic." Annabeth commented.

 **..."The Mist," Thalia said. "Still, mortals do notice it indirectly. Some days, Pikes Peak looks purple. People say it's a trick of the light, but actually it's** **the color of Aeolus's palace, reflecting off the mountain face."**

**It's enormous," Jason said.**

The two brothers exchanged looks, but thankfully didn't start another back-and-forth.

**Thalia laughed. "You should see Olympus, little brother."**

Poseidon made a face at that. He glanced at the daughter of Zeus.

"You've never visited my underwater kingdom, have you?" It was worded like a question but came out like a statement.

Thalia shook her head.

"Didn't think so." the god said.

Zeus scowled.

"Smart ass." the king of gods muttered under his breath.

**...[Thalia] "We should go across in two different groups. The bridge is fragile."**

**"That's reassuring," Leo said. "Jason, can't you just fly us up there?"**

"I don't think he should be wasting his energy on that." Will said. "It'll just tire him out."

 **... [Jason] "Well, sort of. More like I can control the winds. But the winds up here are so strong, I'm not sure I'd want to** **try. Thalia, you mean ... you can't fly?"**

 **For a second, Thalia looked genuinely afraid. Then she got her expression under control. Leo realized she was a lot more scared of heights than** **she was letting on.**

The Stolls snickered but stopped after seeing the deadly glares on Thalia and Annabeth's faces.

**Coach Hedge tapped the ice vapor trail with his hoof, then jumped onto the bridge.**

A few of the readers worriedly winced.

**Amazingly, it held his weight.**

Clarisse and Grover sighed with relief.

 **"Easy! I'll go first. Piper, come on,** **girl. I'll give you a hand."**

"It's fine. She doesn't need help." Aphrodite said hastily. She stiffened up.

**the coach grabbed her hand and dragged her up the bridge.**

**When they were about halfway, the bridge still seemed to be holding them just fine.**

Placing a hand over her chest, the goddess heaved a sigh of relief.

**... [Thalia]"Phoebe, I'll be back soon. Go find the others. Tell them I'm on my way."**

**"You sure?" Phoebe narrowed her eyes at Leo and Jason, like they might kidnap Thalia or something.**

"You can never be to careful with boys." Phoebe said, glaring at the Stolls.

Thalia sighed at her protectiveness.

**..."Jason, Leo, just be careful where you step," Thalia said. "It hardly ever breaks."**

"Hardly." Leo repeated under his breath. "Aeolus really needs to invest in better bridges."

**...he and Jason led the way up the bridge.**

**Halfway up, things went wrong, and of course it was Leo's fault.**

The readers stiffened.

"What did you do?!" Thalia exclaimed, face visibly paling.

"It was an accident, I swear!" Leo immediately said. "It's not my fault the bridge wasn't Valdez-proof!"

"What happened to the bridge?" Phoebe rubbed her temples. _I knew I shouldn't have left them behind._

 **Piper and Hedge had already made it safely to the top and were waving at them,** **encouraging them to keep climbing, but Leo got distracted. He was thinking about bridges—how he would design something way more stable than this** **shifting ice vapor business if this were his palace.**

Annabeth gave him an understanding smile.

**He was pondering braces and support columns. Then a sudden revelation stopped him in his tracks.**

The readers gave him curious looks.

**"Why do they have a bridge?" he asked.**

A couple hunters rolled their eyes.

Everyone else looked at Leo like he asked a stupid question.

"Aeolus needs the storm spirits. Since Jason can't carry you, Piper, and Coach Hedge to the castle, he made a bridge." Will explained to him slowly.

"I know that." Leo sighed, tying the shoelace into a knot. "I was being metaphorical."

Percy narrowed his eyes. "Huh?"

**Thalia frowned. "Leo, this isn't a good place to stop. What do you mean?"**

The other readers still looked confused.

**"They're wind spirits," Leo said. "Can't they fly?"**

**"Yes, but sometimes they need a way to connect to the world below."**

**"So the bridge isn't always here?" Leo asked.**

" _...Yyyeeesss..._ " Annabeth said slowly, still not knowing where he was going. "They only use it when it was necessary. What about it?"

**...Leo's mind was racing. He was so excited he could almost feel his body's temperature rising.**

Annabeth's eyes widened. _Oh no..._

The demigods exchanged uneasy looks.

 **He couldn't quite put his thoughts into words, but he** **knew he was on to something important.**

"Can't you think about it when you're off the bridge?" Thalia asked, her voice wavering.

**..."Oh, gods," Thalia said. "Keep moving. Look at your feet."**

**Leo shuffled backward. With horror, he realized his body temperature really was rising...** **excitement was causing the reaction. His pants steamed in the cold air. His shoes were literally** **smoking, and the bridge didn't like it. The ice was thinning.**

"Oh gods!" Thalia exclaimed with a shudder. "Whatever it is you gotta say, can't you say it on the other side?!"

"What are you even getting at?" Connor frowned.

 **..."I'll try," Leo said. But his body was overheating on its own, running as fast as his thoughts. "Listen, Jason, what did Hera call you in that dream? She** **called you a bridge."**

" _Oh!_ " Annabeth said in realization. "This is how you figured it out? Nice analogy."

Leo grinned. "I know right? Sometimes I'm so smart, I surprise myself!"

"Yeah, yeah, that's great! Can you get off the bridge already?!" Thalia snapped, images of the bridge crumbling were flashing in her head. "Why aren't you moving?!"

"Sorry! I didn't want to lose my train of thought." he said apologetically.

"So you chose to get us killed instead!" she shot back.

"It was in the heat of the moment, I wasn't thinking about that!" Leo responded.

**"Leo, seriously, cool down," Thalia said. "I don't what you're talking about, but the bridge is—"**

**"Just listen,"** **Leo insisted.**

 **"If Jason is a bridge, what's he connecting? Maybe two** **different places that normally don't get along—like the air palace** **and the ground. You had to be somewhere before this, right? And Hera said you were an exchange."**

Annabeth nodded along, looking impressed. "And you figured everything out just by that bridge?"

"I sorta got it." Leo admitted. "But yeah, I was able to put pieces together."

"Wonder how he was able to do that." Hermes said, staring at Hephaestus.

 **...[Thalia] "I understand now why Artemis sent me here. Jason—she told me to hunt for Lycaon and I would find a clue** **about Percy. _You_ are the clue wanted us to meet so I could hear your story."**

**"I don't understand," he protested. "I don't have a story. I don't remember anything."**

**"But Leo's right," Thalia said.**

"Naturally." Leo bragged, earning eye rolls from some of the others.

"Don't let it get to your head, we figured it out way before you did." Drew pointed out.

"Only 'cause you had Annabeth..." he muttered under his breath. He twirled his shoelace around like a streamer.

**"It's all connected. If we just knew where—"**

**Leo snapped his fingers. "Jason, what did you call that place in your dream? That ruined house. The Wolf House?"**

**Thalia nearly choked. "The Wolf House? Jason, why didn't you tell me that! That's where they're keeping Hera?"**

"It's about time they noticed." Hera grumbled, drumming her fingers on her armrest.

**"You know where it is?" Jason asked.**

**Then the bridge dissolved.**

Thalia grew paler.

**Leo would've fallen to his death, but Jason grabbed his coat and pulled him to safety.**

Hephaestus sighed with relief.

Leo smiled in embarrassment. "They really need to make better bridges."

Annabeth hummed in agreement. 

 **The two of them scrambled up the** **bridge, and when they turned, Thalia was on the other side of a thirty-foot chasm. The bridge was continuing to melt.**

 _At least the bridge didn't cave in or anything._ The daughter of Zeus sighed with relief.

 **"Go!" Thalia shouted, backing down the bridge as it crumbled. "Find out where the giant is keeping Piper's dad. Save him! I** **'ll take the Hunters to the** **Wolf House and hold it until you can get there. We can do both!"**

 _We'll see how well that works._ Hera huffed. _Why can't it just be the other way around? The Hunters go save Piper's father, and the three go rescue me?_

**"But where is the Wolf House?" Jason shouted.**

_He doesn't even remember where the Wolf House is._ Hera bit her lip.

**"You know where it is, little brother!"**

_No he doesn't. Why doesn't she just tell him?_ Hera inwardly groaned.

 **Leo and Jason had no time to stand around. They climbed for their lives, the ice vapor thinning under their feet. Several times, Jason grabbed Leo** **and used the winds to keep them aloft, but it was more like bungee jumping than flying.**

**...Piper and Coach Hedge pulled them aboard just as the last of the vapor bridge vanished. They stood gasping for breath at the base of a stone stairway chiseled into the side of the cliff, leading up to the fortress.**

**Leo looked back down. The top of Pikes Peak floated below them in a sea of clouds, but there was no sign of Thalia. And Leo had just burned their** **only exit.**

"Guess there's no turning back." Nico commented. _Not like they had a choice anyway._

**"What happened?" Piper demanded. "Leo, why are your clothes smoking?"**

"It happened right in front of her, how could she not see that?" Drew rolled her eyes.

**"I got a little heated," he gasped. "Sorry, Jason. Honest. I didn't—"**

**"It's all right," Jason said, but his expression was grim.**

"We'll see each other again." Thalia promised. 

**"We've got less than twenty-four hours to rescue a goddess and Piper's dad. Let's go see the king of the winds."**

"That's the end of the chapter." Apollo said.

"I'll read next." Hestia said, taking the book.

" **Jason XXXVII** ," she began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long wait, between work and college, I've had a lot on my plate.  
> *~ 'I've got a Gal in Kalamazoo'- sung by the Glenn Miller band


	38. Jason XXXVII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3.Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" **Jason XXXVII** ," Hestia read.

**Jason had found his sister and lost her in less than an hour.**

_Don't remind me._ Thalia sighed. 

"We'll see each other again." she reminded herself.

**As they climbed the cliffs of the floating island, he kept looking back, but Thalia was gone...** **She'd found a new family with the Hunters, and a new mother in Artemis. She** **seemed so confident and comfortable with her life, Jason wasn't sure if he'd ever be part of it.**

Thalia looked shocked he would even consider that. 

"Of course I would!" she exclaimed. "You're my brother!"

**And she seemed so set on finding her friend Percy. Had she ever searched for Jason that way?**

Thalia looked like she'd been slapped. "If... I'd known..."

Annabeth squeezed her hand. "It's okay. He didn't mean it."

_Sounds like he did._ the huntress thought before bitterly adding. _Not that I can blame him_. 

She should've tried harder to find him. The wolves couldn't have taken him far. If she had just fought her mother hard enough or maybe searched harder for some clues. Maybe things could have been different.

As if sensing her thoughts, Annabeth squeezed her hand harder. Thalia appreciated it, since it helped keep her grounded on the present.

**_Not_ _fair,_ he told himself. ** _**She thought you were dead.** _

**He could barely tolerate what she'd said about their mom. It was almost like Thalia had handed him a baby—a really loud, ugly baby—and said,** ** _Here,_ _this_ _is_ _yours_. _Carry_ _it._ He didn't want to carry it. He didn't want to look at it or claim it. He didn't want to know that he had an unstable mother who'd ****gotten rid of him to appease a goddess. No wonder Thalia had run away.** Hestia read sadly.

_If I'm going to tell him about Mother, I'll do it after this whole Great Prophecy mess ends._ Thalia decided, before grimacing. _That is, if he survives._

She tried to shake her doubt. _Of course, he'll survive, he's made it this far. He can handle whatever comes his way._

Leo pulled the shoelace at both ends.

**Then he remembered the Zeus cabin at Camp Half-Blood...** **Their dad wasn't much of a bargain, either.**

"He's the best we got." Thalia sighed.

Zeus huffed. "As if Jupiter can do better..."

He winced at the sudden burst of pain in his head.

**Jason understood why Thalia had renounced that part of her life too, but he was still resentful.**

"I'll make it up to you somehow." Thalia muttered.

**He** **couldn't be so lucky. He was left holding the bag —literally.**

**The golden backpack of winds was strapped over his shoulders. The closer they got to Aeolus's palace, the heavier the bag got...**

**As they climbed, Leo and Piper left Jason in his silence. Maybe they could sense his bad mood. Piper kept glancing back, worried, as if he were the one who'd almost died of hypothermia rather than she...**

"She really needs to stop doing that." Will sighed. _It's okay to think about yourself once and a while._

**Leo kept swatting his own legs, checking for signs that his pants were on fire. He wasn't steaming anymore, but the incident on the ice bridge had really freaked Jason out.**

Leo frowned. "I'm working on it."

**Leo hadn't seemed to realize that he had smoke coming out his ears and flames dancing through his hair. If Leo started** **spontaneously combusting every time he got excited, they were going to have a tough time taking him anywhere. Jason imagined trying to get food at a** **restaurant.** **_I'll have a cheeseburger and—Ahhh! My friend's on fire! Get me a bucket!_ **

The Stolls snickered.

"I'm not that excitable." Leo argued. "I have _way_ better control than that."

He swished his shoelace to empathize his point.

**Mostly, though, Jason worried about what Leo had said. Jason didn't want to be a bridge, or an exchange, or anything else. He just wanted to know** **where he'd come from...**

**The answer seemed close. But the nearer Jason got to it, the less it cooperated, like the winds on his back.**

Percy grimaced. _I hope my amnesia isn't as bad as his._

Somehow, he figured it'd be worse.

**Finally they arrived at the top of the island.** **Twenty-foot-high gates opened for them, and a road of polished purple stone led up to the main citadel—a white-columned** **rotunda, Greek style, like one of the monuments in Washington, D.C.—except for the cluster of satellite dishes and radio towers on the roof.**

Percy perked up as he heard that. "Satellite dishes?" 

"Everybody needs to sit back and watch T.V. once and awhile." Connor shrugged.

**The rotunda sat in the center of a quarter-mile circle. The grounds were amazing in a scary way. They were divided into four sections like big pizza** **slices, each one representing a season.**

Annabeth's eyes sparkled with interest .

"Wonder how he made that." she said.

"Magic, I guess." Leo said, putting the shoelace back into the shoe.

**...In the distance, Jason could see two more areas behind the rotunda. One looked like a green pasture with sheep made out of clouds. The last** **section was a desert where tumbleweeds scratched strange patterns in the sand like Greek letters, smiley faces, and a huge advertisement that read: _WATCH_** **_AEOLUS NIGHTLY!_ **

 "Huh?" Chris asked.

Ares chuckled. "I love that show. It's hilarious watching him run around, trying to do what everyone tells him to! What a pushover!

"What exactly does he do?" Will asked.

"You'll see." Apollo smiled. _This is gonna be good._

**"One section for each of the four wind gods," Jason guessed. "Four cardinal directions."**

**"I'm loving that pasture." Coach Hedge licked his lips. "You guys mind—"**

**"Go ahead," Jason said.**

"It'd be better that way." Annabeth agreed.

Leo tied his shoe.

**...While the satyr ran off to attack springtime, Jason, Leo, and Piper walked down the road to the steps of the palace. They passed through the front** **doors into a white marble foyer decorated with purple banners that read OLYMPIAN WEATHER CHANNEL, and some that just read OW!**

Percy blinked.

"Wait..." he said slowly. "You guys got a _weatherman?_ "

"Of course, even we need someone to forecast the weather." Demeter said as if it were obvious.

"Yeah, then we'll change it to whatever we want!" Apollo cheerfully added.

**"Hello!" A woman floated up to them. Literally floated...Her brown eyes twinkled cheerfully. Even though there was no wind, her dark hair blew in slow motion, shampoo-commercial style. Her white gown billowed around her like parachute material. Jason couldn't tell if she had feet, but if so, they didn't touch the floor. She had a white tablet computer in her hand. "Are you from Lord Zeus?" she asked. "We've been expecting you."**

"Is she a venti?" Percy asked his girlfriend.

Briefly thinking about him at the other camp, Annabeth made a face at the Roman term before pushing it away. "She sounds like an aura to me."

**Jason tried to respond, but it was a little hard to think straight, because he'd realized the woman was see-through. Her shape faded in and out like she was made of fog.**

**"Are you a ghost?" he asked.**

"Smooth. I'm sure she'll take that well." Nico said.

**Right away he knew he'd insulted her. The smile turned into a pout. "I'm an _aura_ , sir. A wind nymph, as you might expect, working for the lord of the ** **winds. My name is Mellie. We don't have _ghosts_."**

"Sounds like Aeolus got a new secretary again. I knew Wendy wasn't going to last long. She was such an airhead." Apollo said, grinning as he said the last part.

"That's not a surprise considering how long Aeolus's secretaries last." Hermes said. 

"She won't last very long either." Dionysus grumbled. "I'll give her two minutes tops."

"I dunno, I kinda like her attitude. She seems perky and professional." the sun god mused. "I think she might last longer than that."

Hermes mischievously smiled. "Want to bet?"

"With you involved? No!" Apollo said.

"What? It'll be fun!"

"Nobody wants to bet with a cheater." Dionysus said. "Remember the last time we made a bet with you?"

"He completely rigged the game! I lost my best instruments to this guy!" Apollo gave him a sour look. "Can you even _play_ a xylophone?" 

"Okay, okay, how about this? We only bet 200 drachmas, that's basically chump change!"

"Not to us." Percy grumbled but the three gods were too invested in their conversation to hear him.

"That's not good enough." Apollo huffed. "You have to swear on the River of Styx that you wouldn't cheat."

Hermes dramatically gasped and placed a hand on his chest. "Really? You don't trust me?"

"Not even for a second." Dionysus said flatly.

Hermes nonchalantly shrugged. "Yeah, that's fair. I swear on the River of Styx that I won't cheat."

Thunder rumbled overhead. Apollo and Dionysus relaxed a bit.

Smirking, Hermes clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "So what're our numbers?" 

"Two minutes." the god of wine said.

Apollo rubbed his chin. " _Hmm._ I'll say... six minutes."

Hermes raised an eyebrow.

"Really? You sure about that?"

"That isn't even the longest a person can _stand_ Aeolus, let alone work with him." Dionysus looked like he was debating if Apollo was just an idiot or knew something he didn't.

"I'm sticking with six." the god insisted. "It's one of my lucky numbers!"

Hermes made a face at that but shrugged. "Okay, if you say so. I'm betting on seven."

Hestia snorted and covered her mouth as she burst into a fit of giggles. 

Dionysus rolled his eyes. "Of course he would do that."

Apollo rounded over to the god. 

"You promised you wouldn't cheat!" he hissed.

Hermes innocently (as innocently as a god of thieves could be) put his hands up in surrender. "I'm not cheating. That's the number I want! How is that cheating?"

"He has a point." Hestia smiled.

"See!" Hermes beamed. "She gets it!"

"She's just saying that 'cause you're her favorite." Apollo pouted, crossing his arms. "Whatever, it's not like it'll get that high anyway."

**Piper came to the rescue. "No, of course you don't! My friend simply mistook you for Helen of Troy, the most beautiful mortal of all time. It's an easy** **mistake."**

"Nice save!" Hermes said brightly.

"Yeah, it's a nice save now that Hermes said it was." Apollo said under his breath. _Does he even use my xylophone? He better not be using it as a table._

**Wow, she was good. The compliment seemed a little over the top, but Mellie the aura blushed. "Oh ... well, then. So you _are_ from Zeus?"**

**"Er," Jason said, "I'm the son of Zeus, yeah."**

**"Excellent! Please, right this way." She led them through some security doors into another lobby...She didn't look where she was going, but apparently it didn't matter as she drifted straight through a marble column with no problem.**

"I can see why he would mistake her for a ghost." Katie commented.

Leo hummed under his breath as he searched through his tool belt.

**The lobby was a pretty distracting place. Winds blasted around them, so Jason felt like he was pushing through an invisible crowd. Doors blew open** **and slammed by themselves.**

**The things Jason could see were just as bizarre. Paper airplanes of all different sizes and shapes sped around...**

**An ugly creature fluttered past. She looked like a mix between an old lady and a chicken on steroids. She had a wrinkled face with black hair tied in a hairnet, arms like a human plus wings like a chicken, and a fat, feathered body with talons for feet. It was amazing she could fly at all. She kept drifting around and bumping into things like a parade balloon.**

"Ms. Dodds?" Percy jokingly whispered to Nico's ear. The son of Hades felt a shiver run down his spine at the feeling of his hot breath.

_What's wrong with me?_ Nico thought with disgust as he fought down a blush. He tightly clenched his hands into fists. _Why am I acting like this over a guy? He's never going to like me, no matter what I do._ Nico grimaced as he recalled his previous behavior. _Why can't I just like girls like every normal guy?_

"Hey. Did you hear me?" Percy whispered again. **** ~~~~

"Yes, I heard you." Nico responded coldly. He purposely turned away from him.

After watching what happened, a daughter of Aphrodite nudged her sister.

"Did you just see that? Poor Percy's trying to be nice to that creep and that's how he treats him!"

Her sister nodded in agreement.

" _I know!_ " the other whispered back. Their siblings leaned in to hear the conversation. "Poor Percy just saved the world 'n stuff and he's going to that Roman camp, but Nico still treats him like dirt! What a jerk!"

"Has anybody else noticed the constipated looks he makes when Percy and Annabeth do something romantic?" a sister asked.

" _Yes_ and it's _so_ annoying!" another sister butted in. "Remember the time when the two were 'bout to kiss and the little dweeb told them to get a room? I wanted to throttle him! Seriously what's his problem?!"

Overhearing their conversation (they weren't as quiet as they thought they were), Drew snorted. "Honestly, you mean you guys haven't noticed?"

The sisters and other eavesdropping siblings exchanged looks. 

"Noticed what?"

Drew rolled her eyes. "The reason why Nico is acting that way is because he's jealous that Annabeth likes _Percy_ and not _him_." 

The small group gasped.

" _No way!_ " a sister gasped.

"Well, it does make sense." a brother said after considering.

"It makes his behavior cute now that you think about it." another giggled.

Soon the siblings began laughing along with her and sharing the gossip amongst the others.

**"Not an aura?" Jason asked Mellie as the creature wobbled by.**

**Mellie laughed. "That's a harpy, of course. Our, ah, ugly stepsisters, I suppose you would say. Don't you have harpies on Olympus? They're spirits of violent gusts, unlike us aurai. We're all gentle breezes."**

**She batted her eyes at Jason.**

**"'Course you are," he said.**

**"So," Piper prompted, "you were taking us to see Aeolus?"**

**Mellie led them through a set of doors like an airlock. Above the interior door, a green light blinked.**

**"We have a few minutes before he starts," Mellie said cheerfully. "He probably won't kill you if we go in now. Come along!"**

"Finished." Hestia said. "Does anybody want to read next?"

"I'll read." Poseidon said, taking the book.

" **Jason XXXVIII** ," he read.

 

 


	39. Jason XXXVIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3.Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" **Jason** **XXXVIII** ," Poseidon read.

**Jason's jaw dropped. The central section of Aeolus's fortress was as big as a cathedral, with a soaring domed roof covered in silver... And there was no floor. Leo almost fell into the chasm before Jason pulled him back.**

"That's like the hundredth time you almost fell to your death." Connor noticed.

"Tell me about it, you might as well start off every chapter with 'And Leo nearly falls to his death'." Leo said, waving his hand around. "I swear this has to be some kind a recurring theme. Maybe it's a metaphor on how much my life sucks!"

"I don't think it's that deep." Katie said.

"It could be, I mean, my life's crazy enough to be written into three books, right?" he paused, seeming to be considering something. "Do you think Nemesis has more books like these?"

"I don't think so. Who else would she have books about?" Percy asked.

Leo shrugged. "Could be you." Feeling a bit sadistic, he added. "Who knows? There might be a whole series of books floating around somewhere with good ol' Percy Jackson as the narrator." He dramatically wiggled his fingers. "Watch how you think PJ! You never know who's listening in!"

Percy had a full body shudder.

"Don't even joke about that." he said. "Besides, my thoughts are way too dumb to be written in a paragraph, let alone a whole book."

"And you think mine are all philosophical and genius-like." Leo argued, looking unimpressed. "Don't get me wrong, they have their moments, but for the most part, they're pretty stupid." _And depressing. And embarrassing. And self-depreciating. And-_

"Yeah but..."The son of Poseidon looked like he wanted to argue, but couldn't think of anything else to say besides the silent: _Better you than me._

Not that Leo could blame him. If the roles had been reversed he'd be thinking the same too.

 **"Holy—!" Leo** **gulped**. **"Hey, Mellie. A little warning next time!"**

**An enormous circular pit plunged into the heart of the mountain. It was probably half a mile deep, honeycombed with caves...The whole cavern bustled with harpies, aurai, and paper airplanes, but for someone who couldn't fly, it would be a very long, very fatal fall.**

"That's amazing." Annabeth breathed.

"Yeah, if you ignore the whole 'no floors' and 'fatal fall' parts." Thalia shivered.

"Why don't they have any floors?" Percy asked, eager that they were moving on from the last conversation.

"No point in having any if everyone can float." Poseidon said.

"They also must not have a lot of visitors if they hadn't constructed any." the daughter of Athena noted.

Leo fiddled with a cooper wire.

**"Oh, my," Mellie gasped. "I'm so sorry." She unclipped a walkie-talkie from somewhere inside her robes and spoke into it: "Hello, sets? Is that Nuggets? Hi, Nuggets.**

"What kind of name is that?" Connor snickered with his brother.

**Could we get a floor in the main studio, please? Yes, a solid one. Thanks."**

**A few seconds later, an army of harpies rose from the pit—three dozen or so demon chicken ladies... They went to work hammering and gluing—and using large quantities of duct tape, which didn't reassure Jason.**

**In no time there was a makeshift floor snaking out over the chasm. It was made of plywood, marble blocks, carpet squares, wedges of grass sod—just about anything.**

"That can't be stable." Thalia said firmly. "That was way too quick to be a safe floor."

"Nah! It's fine! Harpies are great builders!" Apollo said dismissively.

"They aren't as dependable as machines." Hephaestus muttered, wary of the floor's stability.

**...Jason decided he had the best chance at surviving, since he could fly, so he stepped out, the floor held.**

"Told you guys." Apollo said as the two nonbelievers relaxed.

**Piper gripped his hand and followed him. "If I fall, you're catching me."**

" _Awwwww!_ " Aphrodite cooed and her daughters giggled.

**"Uh, sure." Jason hoped he wasn't blushing.**

The giggling grew louder.

Drew gagged.

**Leo stepped out next. "You're catching me, too, Superman. But I ain't holding your hand."**

Aphrodite and a couple of her daughters groaned over Hermes, Apollo, and the Stolls' laughter.

" _Leo!_ You ruined the moment!" Lacy scolded, looking the sternest Leo's ever seen her.

"What? I had to do what I had to do, to ensure my safety!" Leo defended.

**Mellie led them toward the middle of the chamber, where a loose sphere of flat-panel video screens floated around a kind of control center. A man hovered inside, checking monitors and reading paper airplane messages.**

**...The floating screens showed all sorts of television programs. Some Jason recognized—news broadcasts, mostly—but some programs looked a little strange: gladiators fighting, demigods battling monsters. Maybe they were movies, but they looked more like reality shows.**

" _Battle to Their Deaths_ is probably on right now and I'm stuck here reading a stupid book." Ares grumbled.

"I doubt they have any new episodes on." Aphrodite soothed. "All the demigods are either here with us or staying at camp and treating injuries."

Percy narrowed his eyes.

"Wait, you guys make shows about us but you don't come down to help?!" he angrily exclaimed.

"We can't interfere with mortal affairs." Zeus said.

"But you can watch them for entertainment." Percy grumbled, earning warning looks from his father and Annabeth.

**At the far end of the sphere was a silky blue backdrop like a cinema screen, with cameras and studio lights floating around it.**

**The man in the center was talking into an earpiece phone...**

**...He looked like he was in his sixties, with a shock of white hair, but he had a ton of stage makeup on, and that smooth plastic-surgery look to his face, so he appeared not really young, not really old, just wrong—like a Ken doll someone had halfway melted in a microwave.**

" _That's_ Aeolus?" Will frowned.

"Yup! That's him." Apollo happily confirmed.

Aphrodite made a face. " _Fates_. He looks worse and worse as the decades go by."

"The stress from the anemoi thuella situation didn't help either." Hestia said.

**His eyes darted back and forth from screen to screen, like he was trying to absorb everything at once. He muttered things into his phone, and his mouth kept twitching. He was either amused, or crazy, or both.**

"It's both." Dionysus said before adding. "You should see him drunk."

"You think he's bad when he's drunk?" Hermes asked with a mischievous smile. "That's nothing! Start asking for it to snow ice-cream or rain meatballs and spaghetti, then you'll how crazy he can really get!" the god cackled. " You should've seen his face when I ordered him to make Swinter a fifth season! He had no idea what to do! His face started twitching and everything!"

"I'm starting to see why he went crazy." Annabeth said, looking disturbed by the gods' comments.

"Hey, that's not our faults. Poor guy overworks himself." Hermes grinned and shrugged.

**Mellie floated toward him. "Ah, sir, Mr. Aeolus , these demigods—"**

**"Hold it!" He held up a hand to silence her, then pointed at one of the screens. "Watch!"**

**It was one of those storm-chaser programs, where insane thrill-seekers drive after tornados. As Jason watched, a Jeep plowed straight into a funnel cloud and got tossed into the sky.**

Athena rolled her eyes as Ares loudly laughed.

 **Aeolus shrieked with delight. "The Disaster Channel. People do that** **_on_ ** **_purpose_ ** **!" He turned toward Jason with a mad grin. "Isn't that amazing? Let's watch it again."**

**"Um, sir," Mellie said, "this is Jason, son of—"**

**"Yes, yes, I remember," Aeolus said. "You're back. How did it go?"**

The demigods blinked in surprise.

"They've met?" Thalia said in surprise.

"It must've been on a quest." Annabeth said thoughtfully. "I wonder what he needed to ask Aeolus for?"

**Jason hesitated. "Sorry? I think you've mistaken me—"**

**"No, no, Jason Grace, aren't you? It was—what—last year? You were on your way to fight a sea monster, I believe."**

Percy raised his eyebrows at that. "Wow."

**"I—I don't remember."**

**Aelous laughed. "Must not have been a very good sea monster! No, I remember every hero who's ever come to me for aid. Odysseus—gods, he docked at my island for a month! At least you only stayed a few days. Now, watch this video. These ducks get sucked straight into—"**

**"Sir," Mellie interrupted. "Two minutes to air."**

**"Air!" Aeolus exclaimed. "I love air. How do I look? Makeup!"**

Aphrodite winced. "No. Please. You don't need anymore. Trust me.

**...They blurred across his face in a cloud of flesh-tone smoke until his coloration was even more gruesome than before. Wind swirled through his hair and left it sticking up like a frosted Christmas tree.**

" _Ugh!_ Somebody fire that whole makeup team and start over." the goddess shuddered.

**...[Jason] "We brought you these rogue storm spirits."**

**"Did you!" Aeolus looked at the bag like it was a gift from a fan—something he really didn't want. "Well, how nice."**

**Leo nudged him, and Jason offered the bag. "Boreas sent us to capture them for you. We hope you'll accept them and stop—you know—ordering demigods to be killed."**

Hestia nodded her head in approval. "Nice to know that you kept your promise."

"It's what we do best." Leo said, tossing the wire in the air before catching it.

**Aeolus laughed, and looked incredulously at Mellie. "Demigods be killed—did I order that?"**

"He forgot he ordered to kill all demigods?" Will said incredulously.

"Yeah, but don't worry, he'll take it back." Aphrodite said dismissively.

**"Oh, pish," Aeolus said. "I was just grumpy. Rescind that order, Mellie,**

"See?" Aphrodite smiled. "Problem solved."

"That was easy." Grover commented.

"That's it? He's just going to take the storm spirits and cancel his order?" Nyssa said, dumbfounded.

"He changes his mind very easily." Athena told her.

"You'd be surprised how often he does it." Apollo said.

**and um, who's on guard duty—Teriyaki?—**

"Was Aeolus hungry when he thought up these names?" Travis laughed.

**Teri, take these storm spirits down to cell block Fourteen E, will you?"**

**... [Aeolus]"Now, sorry about that kill-on-sight business. But gods, I really was mad, wasn't I?" His face suddenly darkened, and his suit did the same, the lapels flashing with lightning. "You know ... I remember now. Almost seemed like a voice was telling me to give that order. A little cold tingle on the back of my neck."**

_A cold tingle... Why does mind control always feel cold?_ Leo shuddered. He reached into his tool belt and pulled out a roll of aluminum foil.

He pulled off a piece and began to make a hat.

 _Just like Hera and Zeus._ Annabeth thought, glancing at the gods.

 **..."Yes. How odd. Mellie,** **_should_ ** **we kill them?"**

**"No, sir," she said patiently. "They just brought us the storm spirits, which makes everything all right."**

Apollo nodded his head. "And that's why she'll last six minutes."

"Yeah, but it has to be exactly six or five minutes or I'll win the bet." Hermes mentioned.

"Or me." Dionysus added.

The other god scowled. "Tell me something I don't know."

 _Com'on Mellie, you're doing great! Keep it up past the four minute mark, then find a way to blow it before the last second!_ the god mentally cheered.

**"Of course." Aeolus laughed. "Sorry. Mellie, let's send the demigods something nice. A box of chocolates, perhaps."**

The Stolls widely smiled.

"Awesome! Hey, maybe Aeolus isn't that bad after all!" Connor said.

"Can he even afford that?" Apollo wondered with a frown.

"If he saved up, maybe." Hermes said. "Doubt it though."

 **"A box of chocolates to** **_every_ ** **demigod in the world, sir?"**

**"No, too expensive. Never mind.**

"Aw man! Cheapskate!" Travis pouted.

"There, there. They wouldn't have been good anyway." Hermes consoled.

"Can't he afford it? I mean, isn't he a god?" Percy asked.

A few gods snorted and laughed, even Poseidon smiled like he asked a cute question.

"Him? A god?" Demeter giggled. " _Oh no_ , he's just a master. He doesn't get _nearly_ as much wealth as we do."

"I actually pay Charon more than what Aeolus sees a century." Hades said off-handedly.

Percy's eyes widened. " _Whoa_."

He didn't know how much Charon got paid, but it was clear by his complaints that it wasn't enough. If Charon got paid more than Aeolus, then Percy guessed the master got paid below godly minimum wage.

"It's fine, he doesn't mind." Demeter said sweetly, seeing his expression. "Aeolus loves his job and he doesn't care about things like _money_ or _days off_ or _lunchbreaks_. He's just glad he gets to rain on a parade or brighten up someone's day."

 _Do they realize how bad that sounds?_ the son of Poseidon frowned. He couldn't imagine working at a part-time job with those requirements, let alone a twenty-four hour weather station. _No wonder he is the way he is._

**Wait, it's time! I'm on!"**

**Aeolus flew off toward the blue screen as newscast music started to play.**

**Jason looked at Piper and Leo, who seemed just as confused as he was.**

**"Mellie," he said, "is he ... always like that?"**

**She smiled sheepishly. "Well, you know what they say. If you don't like his mood, wait five minutes. That expression 'whichever way the wind blows' —that was based on him."**

"So he's been like this for a while." Percy's frown deepened.

"As long as I can remember." Hermes admitted.

**"And that thing about the sea monster," Jason said. "Was I here before?"**

**Mellie blushed. "I'm sorry, I don't remember. I'm his new assistant. I've been with him longer than most, but still—not that long."**

The three gods perked up at this.

**"How long do his assistants usually last?" Piper asked.**

**Oh..." Mellie thought for a moment. "I've been doing this for ... twelve hours?"**

" _Seriously? Twelve hours?!_ " Apollo exclaimed. Sitting next to him, Artemis winced at the volume. "You're joking, right Uncle P?!"

"That's what it says." Poseidon replied.

"Damn it Mellie..." the god muttered, reaching into his pocket. _You were too good for this job._

" _Yes!_ Alright boys, hand it over!" Hermes smiled and held out his hand.

"This is why I don't do anything with you." Dionysus grumbled, pulling out his coin bags.

"I should've won this bet!" Apollo complained. "I was _so_ close and I believed in her!"

"Don't be a sore loser." Hermes grinned. "Besides, you should be happy for Mellie. She's the first assistant to ever last this long."

"Don't know how she managed it." the god of wine said. "I would've quit after two minutes."

"Of course you would." Zeus rolled his eyes.

As the gods painstakingly payed Hermes, Poseidon kept reading.

**...Lights blazed on Aeolus, who was now standing in front of the blue screen. His smile was unnaturally white, and he looked like he'd had so much caffeine his face was about to explode.**

Aphrodite gagged.

 **"Hello, Olympus! Aeolus, master of the winds here, with weather every twelve! We'll have a low-pressure system moving over Florida today, so expect milder temperatures since Demeter wishes to spare the citrus farmers!"** Poseidon rolled his eyes. _She always coddles them._

Demeter smiled.

**..."Along the eastern seaboard—oh, hold on." He tapped his earpiece. "Sorry, folks! Poseidon is angry with Miami today, so it looks like that Florida freeze is back on! Sorry, Demeter.**

Demeter's content smile quickly turned into a scowl.

"You can't do that! Think of the farmers!"

" _Hmph!_ I can do whatever I want with Miami, it's near my domain. Maybe if they hadn't made me angry, they would be enjoying a nice sunny day."

"If you weren't so short-tempered, you'd realize how much destruction you'll cause to people's livehoods. They need those fruits and other vegetation to survive!"

" _Oh_ _please_ , don't lecture me on 'consequences' and 'thinking of others'." Poseidon rolled his eyes. "Weren't you the one who refused to let anything grow and caused an Ice Age, just because your daughter married Hades? I'm pretty sure you didn't care about the millions of starving farmers then."

"Please leave me out of this." Hades near begged.

"That was different and you know it!" the goddess snapped.

"Sounds the similar enough to me." Poseidon commented before he continued reading.

**Over in the Midwest, I'm not sure what St. Louis did to offend Zeus, but you can expect winter storms!**

Hephaestus scoffed.

**Boreas himself is being called down to punish the area with ice. Bad news, Missouri! No, wait. Hephaestus feels sorry for central Missouri, so you all will have much more moderate temperatures and sunny skies."**

Zeus glared at the god. "Hephaestus, don't interfere with my work."

"I hardly call harassing humans as work." the god snorted, not looking up from his newest project.

**Aeolus kept going like that—forecasting each area of the country and changing his prediction two or three times as he got messages...the gods apparently putting in orders for various winds and weather.**

_And he has to do that everyday for hours on end._ Percy grimaced. The more he heard about Aeolus's working conditions, the more sympathy he felt for the poor guy.

**..."And that's the weather," Aeolus concluded. "See you in twelve minutes, because I'm sure it'll change!"**

**The lights shut off... and just for a moment, Aeolus's face sagged with weariness. Then he seemed to remember he had guests, and he put a smile back on.**

**"So, you brought me some rogue storm spirits," Aeolus said. "I suppose... thanks! And did you want something else? I assume so. Demigods always do."**

"It's not our faults the gods always give us something to do." Chris pointed out.

Donning on his new tin foil hat, Leo crumpled a piece of foil into a ball and rolled it around.

**Mellie said, "Um, sir, this is Zeus's son."**

**"Yes, yes. I know that. I said I remembered him from before."**

**"But, sir, they're here from** **_Olympus_ ** **."**

**Aeolus looked stunned. Then he laughed so abruptly, Jason almost jumped into the chasm.**

The gods exchanged curious looks while the demigods stiffened.

"What's up with him?" Travis asked, looking uneasy.

 **"You mean you're here on behalf of your father this time? Finally! I knew they would send someone to renegotiate my contract!"** Poseidon read, an amused smile slowly growing on his face. _Wait does he honestly think...?_

 **"Oh, thank goodness!" Aeolus sighed with relief. "It's been what, three thousand years since Zeus made me master of the winds. Not that I'm ungrateful, of course! But really, my contract is so vague. Obviously I'm immortal, but 'master of the winds.' What does that mean? Am I a nature spirit? A demigod? A god?** Poseidon had a hard time saying the last words without an amused snort. **I** ** _want_** **to be god of the winds, because the benefits are so much better. Can we start with that?"**

For a moment there was silence. The demigods were just blinking in confusion while the gods were trying to keep straight faces.

" _Pppffffttt!_ " Apollo broke the stillness as he burst out into laughter. Soon the other gods joined him.

"H-He...Actually...T-T-Thinks you're going to give him a promotion!" Hermes said in between laughter.

"No wonder he lasted on T.V. for so long! Aeolus is hilarious!" Aphrodite giggled.

"As if that'll ever happen." Zeus cracked a smile.

"I don't know... Maybe you should give him the promotion, brother." Hestia said. "He has been working awfully hard."

"And give him more power over my domain?" the god of the sky huffed. "I think not! He's lucky he even got the position in the first place!"

Hestia sighed.

**... [Aeolus] "Marvelous! I mean, I think I've shown quite a bit of initiative with the weather channel, eh? And of course I'm in the press all the time. So many books have been written about me: Into Thin Air , Up in the Air, Gone with the Wind—"**

"Er... I've never read any of those books before, but I'm pretty sure none of them are about him." Percy said.

"They're not. Did he even read the books?" Annabeth asked.

"He'd have to have a lunch break to do that." Leo reminded, tossing the ball in the air before catching it.

"It's better to just let him think that. He gets upset if you tell him otherwise." Hermes explained.

**..."Sir," Jason said, "we're not from Olympus."**

**Aeolus blinked. "But—"**

**"I'm the son of Zeus, yes," Jason said, "but we're not here to negotiate your contract. We're on a quest and we need your help."**

**...[Aeolus] "Like last time? Like every hero who comes here? Demigods! It's always about** **_you_ ** **, isn't it?"**

The demigods looked offended.

"It's not like we _want_ to bother you." Katie argued.

**... [Aeolus] "I'm always helping! Well, sometimes I'm destroying, but mostly I'm helping, and sometimes I'm asked to do both at the same time!**

"You shouldn't complain, it's your job." Zeus muttered.

**Why, Aeneas, the first of your kind—"**

"We should've let his boat sink." Athena muttered bitterly.

**"My kind?" Jason asked. "You mean, demigods?"**

**"Oh, please!" Aeolus said. "I mean your line of demigods. You know, Aeneas, son of Venus—the only surviving hero of Troy.**

Aphrodite smiled fondly.

 **When the Greeks burned down his city, he escaped to Italy, where he founded the kingdom that would eventually become Rome, blah, blah, blah.** **_That's_ ** **what I meant."**

**"I don't get it," Jason admitted.**

**Aeolus rolled his eyes. "The point being, I was thrown in the middle of that conflict, too! Juno calls up: 'Oh, Aeolus, destroy Aeneas's ships for me. I don't like him.'**

Hera winced as her form flickered.

Zeus grabbed her hand and rubbed soothing circles.

 **Then Neptune** Poseidon winced at the sudden pounding in his head. He paused to compose himself before he continued reading. **says, 'No, you don't! That's my territory. Calm the winds.'**

**Then Juno is like, 'No, wreck his ships, or I'll tell Jupiter you're uncooperative!' Do you think it's easy juggling requests like that?"**

_Yes! Yes! We get it! Enough already!_ Zeus flinched at the pain in his head.

"I guess not." Percy admitted.

**..."And don't get me started on Amelia Earhart! I'm still getting angry calls from Olympus about knocking her out of the sky!"**

"He deserves every angry call he gets from Olympus for doing that!" Artemis scowled. "She was finally going to prove women were just as good pilots as men, but then _he_ ruined it by knocking her out of the sky! Ugh!"

**"We just want information," Piper said in her most calming voice. "We hear you know everything."**

**...[Aeolus] "Well... that's true, of course. For instance, I know that this business here"—he waggled his fingers at the three of them—"this harebrained scheme of Juno's to bring you all together is likely to end in bloodshed.**

"Why does everybody say that? Why can't they just say that we won't get along at first or we'll argue a lot?" Connor complained.

"Because that won't be the truth, would it?" Athena said.

"It's cool," Leo told him, ignoring her comment. "We'll just prove them wrong."

The Stoll gave him a nervous smile. "If you say so, man."

"I'd like to see you try." the goddess of wisdom huffed.

**As for you, Piper McLean, I know your father is in serious trouble." He held out his hand, and a scrap of paper fluttered into his grasp. It was a photo of Piper with a guy who must've been her dad...**

"How'd he get that?" Katie asked.

"Everything that gets lost in the wind ends up going to Aeolus." Athena explained.

**...[Aeolus] "...The photo blew away when the Earthborn captured him."**

"The Earthborn?" Chris repeated. "Is that another name for the giants?"

**...[Aeolus] "Now, you, son of Hephaestus ... yes, I see your future." Another paper fell into the wind god's hands—an old tattered drawing done in crayons.**

"The picture of the flying ship!" Annabeth's eyes widened in realization. "That's how we're going to get to the Roman Camp!"

"Sure is!" Leo said, tipping his hat back and beaming with pride. "Wait 'til you see it! It's the coolest thing ever made, ten times better than that drawing!"

"I would hope so." Chris said.

**Leo took it as if it might be coated in poison. He staggered backward.**

Hephaestus gave him a concerned look.

Leo waved it off. "I was fine, I was just blown away by the pure artistic abilities of my younger self! Seriously, if I wasn't a tinkerer, I could've been a modern-day Picasso!"

 _You realize he did surrealism, right?_ Annabeth thought.

"Sounds like you were scared to me." Grover said.

"Nah!" Leo denied a little too quickly. The broad hat fell over his eyes. "I was fine."

He tipped the hat back up.

**"Leo?" Jason said. "What is it?"**

**"Something I—I drew when I was a kid." He folded it quickly and put it in his coat. "It's ... yeah, it's nothing."**

**Aeolus laughed. "Really? Just the key to your success!**

"It _is_ pretty important isn't it?" Leo pretended to muse. "The best thing I ever made!"

Jake frowned.

"You ever made?" he repeated. "Don't you mean _'we'_? There's no way we'd let you work on something so big by yourself."

Leo hesitated, tossing the ball from hand to hand. "Uh... Of course I meant that! Sorry, got a bit excited there."

He avoided eye contact as he shifted uncomfortably.

Nyssa and Jake gave him suspicious looks.

**Now, where were we? Ah, yes, you wanted information. Are you sure about that? Sometimes information can be dangerous."**

"And sometimes being ignorant can be even more dangerous." Annabeth argued.

**... [Jason] "We need to find the lair of Enceladus."**

**Aeolus's smile melted. "The giant? Why would you want to go there? He's horrible! He doesn't even watch my program!"**

Athena sighed.

**..."Now, that's impossible," Aeolus said. "Even I can't see that, and believe me, I've tried. There's a veil of magic over Hera's location—very strong, impossible to locate."**

**"She's at a place called the Wolf House," Jason said.**

**"Hold on!" Aelous put a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. "I'm getting something! Yes, she's at a place called the Wolf House! Sadly, I don't know where that is."**

"Well that's helpful." Hera said sarcastically.

**"Enceladus does," Piper persisted. "If you help us find him, we could get the location of the goddess—"**

**"Yeah," Leo said, catching on. "And if we save her, she'd be really grateful to you—"**

**"And Zeus might promote you," Jason finished.**

"Let's not get carried away here!" Poseidon chuckled.

**... [Aeolus] "A promotion—and all you want from me is the giant's location?"**

**"Well, if you could get us there, too," Jason amended, "that would be great."**

**... [Mellie] "Oh, he could do that! He often sends helpful winds—"**

**"Mellie, quiet!" Aeolus snapped. "I have half a mind to fire you for letting these people in under false pretenses."**

"Oh now you want to fire her." Apollo rolled his eyes.

"But that's not fair, it wasn't her fault!" Percy protested.

"He doesn't care, as long as he gets to take his anger out on someone." Hermes shrugged.

**...Aelous tilted his head as if thinking. Then Jason realized the wind lord was listening to voices in his earpiece.**

**"Well ... Zeus approves," Aeolus muttered. "He says ... he says it would be better if you could avoid saving her until after the weekend, because he has a big party planned**

"YOU WHAT?!" Hera screeched, yanking her hand out of his.

"Hera, please," Zeus tried to explain, only to be interrupted by the cheering of the other gods.

"If we're having a party, I'll bring the grill." Hephaestus volunteered with a toothy grin.

"Great idea! Let's have a potluck! I'll bring the ambrosia!" Apollo sang, he was about to say more but he shut up after seeing the look on Zeus's face.

The god turned back to his wife.

"It might not be because of me exactly." he tried to amend. "That could've been... er… _the voice!_ Controlling me and making me want to have a party, instead of looking for you!"

Hades and Poseidon snorted.

"Nice save." the god of the dead commented. Zeus sent him a look that screamed : _Shut up!_

"You better hope so!" the goddess threatened.

Poseidon kept reading before the back and forth could continue further.

 **—Ow! That's Aphrodite yelling at him, reminding him that the solstice starts at dawn. She says I should help you. And** **Hephaestus... yes.**

"I don't know…" Hephaestus said thoughtfully. "I'm looking forward to that 'Goodbye Forever' party."

"Giants taking over the world." Aphrodite reminded. "Our children being frontliners of an uphill battle." 

"Right, right." he sighed.

**Hmm. Very rare they agree on anything. Hold on ..."**

**…Back toward the entrance, Jason heard a loud belch. Coach Hedge waddled in from the lobby, grass all over his face.**

A few demigods winced at the entrance of the satyr.

 _Why can't he just keep eating the lawn._ Annabeth sighed.

 **Mellie saw him coming** **across the makeshift floor and caught her breath. "Who is _that_?"**

The demigods exchanged wary looks.

 **"That? That's just Coach Hedge. Uh, Gleeson Hedge. He's our ..." Jason wasn't sure what to call him: _teacher_ , _friend_ , ** _**problem?** _

Clarisse frowned disapprovingly. 

**"Our guide."**

**"He's _so_ goatly," Mellie murmured.**

Aphrodite cooed while most of the people in the room looked disturbed by Mellie's remark.

**..."What's up, guys?" Hedge trotted over. "Wow, nice place. Oh! Sod squares."**

**"Coach, you just ate," Jason said. "And we're using the sod as a floor. This is, ah, Mellie—"**

**"An _aura_." Hedge smiled winningly. "Beautiful as a summer breeze."**

"Can we skip this part?" Leo asked to no one in particular. "Hearing this once was bad already bad enough."

**..."And Aeolus here was just about to help us," Jason said.**

**"Yes," the wind lord muttered. "It seems so. You'll find Enceladus on Mount Diablo."**

**"Devil Mountain?" Leo asked. "That doesn't sound good."**

"Better than nothing." Annabeth said.

 **…"Now ..." Aeolus began to smile. "As to getting you there—" Suddenly his face went slack. He bent over and tapped his earpiece as if it were malfunctioning. When he straightened again, his eyes were wild.** **Despite the makeup, he looked like an old man—an old, very frightened man.**

Everyone in the room tensed.

 _Is the voice speaking to him again?_ Annabeth wondered, twirling her necklace.

**"She hasn't spoke to me for centuries. I can't—yes, yes I understand."**

**He swallowed, regarding Jason as if he had suddenly turned into a giant cockroach. "I'm sorry, son of Jupiter. New orders. You all have to die."**

"What?! He just can't go against the gods' orders!" Percy said.

"He can if a more powerful force is ordering him..." Poseidon explained grimly.

**Mellie squeaked. "But—but, sir! Zeus said to help. Aphrodite , Hephaestus—"**

**"Mellie!" Aeolus snapped. "Your job is already on the line. Besides, there are some orders that transcend even the wishes of the gods, especially** **when it comes to the forces of nature."**

The demigods grimaced. 

"This has Dirt Woman written all over it." Travis said.

**"Whose orders?" Jason said. "Zeus will fire you if you don't help us!"**

"Sadly, no. I don't think I can find anyone who's willing to work as nearly as hard as Aeolus does, for the same pay rate." Zeus said.

 **"I doubt it." Aeolus flicked his wrist, and far below them, a cell door opened in the pit. Jason could hear storm spirits screaming out of it, spiraling up** **toward them, howling for blood.**

" _Damn it!_ " Thalia hissed. _No Festus or hunters to save them this time! Now what?!_

**Jason summoned his sword. Coach Hedge pulled out his club. Mellie the aura yelled, "No!"**

**She dived at their feet just as the storm spirits hit with hurricane force, blasting the floor to pieces, shredding the carpet samples and marble and** **linoleum into what should've been lethal projectiles, had Mellie's robes not spread out like a shield and absorbed the brunt of the impact.**

" _Woohoo!_ Alright Mellie!" Apollo cheered along with some of the other readers.

 **The five of them** **fell into the pit, and Aeolus screamed above them, "Mellie, you are _so_ fired!"**

"It was inevitable." Hermes said.

"She deserves a better job anyway." Apollo said. "He did her a favor in the end."

**"Quick," Mellie yelled. "Son of Zeus, do you have any power over the air?"**

**"A little!"**

**"Then help me, or you're all dead!" Mellie grabbed his hand...**

"Nice incentive!" Hermes chuckled.

**..."Bring it on, gas bags!" Hedge yelled up at the storm spirits. "I'll pulverize you!"**

**"He's magnificent," Mellie sighed.**

"Can you focus on that later?" Thalia pleaded.

**"Concentrate?" Jason prompted.**

**"Right!" she said.**

**They channeled the wind so their fall became more of a tumble into the nearest open chute. Still, they slammed into the tunnel at painful speed and** **went rolling over each other down a steep vent that was not designed for people.**

 _JasonandMelliecanflyJasonandMelliecanflyJasonandMelliecanfly_ Thalia chanted in her mind as she struggled to relax.

**"Can't—hold—long," Mellie warned. "Stay together! When the winds hit—"**

**"You're doing great, Mellie," Hedge said. "My own mama was an aura, you know. She couldn't have done better herself."**

**"Iris-message me?" Mellie pleaded.**

**Hedge winked.**

Aphrodite smiled as numerous of people simultaneously shuddered.

 **"Could you guys plan your date later?" Piper screamed. "Look!"**  

**Behind them, the tunnel was turning dark. Jason could feel his ears pop as the pressure built.**

**"Can't hold them," Mellie warned. "But I'll try to shield you, do you one more favor."**  

**"Thanks, Mellie," Jason said. "I hope you get a new job."**

**She smiled, and then dissolved, wrapping them in a warm gentle breeze. Then the real winds hit, shooting them into the sky so fast, Jason blacked** **out.**

"That's the end of the chapter." Poseidon concluded.

"I'll read next." Athena volunteered.

" **Piper** **XXXIX** ," the goddess of wisdom read.


	40. Piper XXXIX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3.Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" **Piper** **XXXIX** ," the goddess of wisdom read.

**Piper dreamed she was on the Wilderness School dorm roof.**

**The desert night was cold, but she'd brought blankets, and with Jason next to her, she didn't need any more warmth.**

Aphrodite giggled.

**...The stars were so bright, Piper had been afraid they wouldn't be able to see the meteor shower. She didn't want Jason to think she'd dragged him up here on false pretenses. (Even though her pretenses had been totally false.) But the meteors did not disappoint. One streaked across the sky almost every minute—a line of white, yellow, or blue fire...**

"Sounds romantic..." Lacy sighed happily.

Her siblings sighed along from agreement.

**Jason took her hand—finally—and pointed as two meteors skipped across the atmosphere and formed a cross.**

**"Wow," he said. "I can't believe Leo didn't want to see this."**

"Wait." Leo scratched his head. "I don't remember this. Was I even invited?" 

"Does it even matter? It's fake, remember?" Drew rolled her eyes. "You probably don't even have the same memories as her."

"That's true." he frowned.

**"Actually, I didn't invite him," Piper said casually.**

"Gee, thanks." Leo said, halfheartedly rolling his eyes. "It's not like I would've wanted to see the meteors anyway."

"It's not real." Drew reminded testily.

**Jason smiled. "Oh, yeah?"**

**"Mm-hmm. You ever feel like three would be a crowd?"**

"Believe me, I know." Leo admitted.

**"Yeah," Jason admitted. "Like right now. You know how much trouble we'd get in if we got caught up here?"**

**"Oh, I'd make up something," Piper said. "I can be very persuasive. So you want to dance, or what?"**

**He laughed. His eyes were amazing, and his smile was even better in the starlight.**

The children of Aphrodite sighed in unison.

"It's like something from a fairy-tale." Lacy smiled.

"That's cause it's not real." Drew repeated. _When are they going to get it through their thick skulls!_

"Can you just let them enjoy the moment." Mitchell said, rolling his eyes.

 **He stood and offered her his hand. They slow danced a few steps, but it quickly turned into a kiss. Piper almost couldn't kiss him again, because** **she was too busy smiling.**

Aphrodite and Cabin Ten sighed again.

Drew snorted and just focused on repainting her nails.

**Then her dream changed**

Some of the Aphrodite children groaned in disappointment.

"Finally." Drew muttered.

Thinking similar thoughts, Artemis heaved a sigh of relief.

**...she found herself back in Medea's department store.**

**"Please let this be a dream," she murmured, "and not my eternal punishment."**

**"No, dear," said a woman's honey-sweet voice. "No punishment."**

Annabeth nudged Percy. She gave him a smug look. "See, I told you she's still alive!"

"That can't be right," her boyfriend argued. "This has to be a different person or something. Medea couldn't have survived that."

"We'll see." she responded, still smiling to herself.

 **Piper turned, afraid she'd see Medea, but a different woman stood next to her,** **browsing through the fifty-percent-off rack.**

"Ha!" Percy exclaimed. "Told you!"

"Yeah, yeah, you can be right once and awhile." Annabeth grudgingly admitted.

Having a feeling on who it was, Aphrodite smiled guiltily.

Having a similar idea, Hephaestus rolled his eyes. 

 **The woman was gorgeous...** **Piper had seen her share of actresses—most of her dad's dates were knockout beautiful—but this lady was different. She was elegant without** **trying, fashionable without effort, stunning without makeup...** **There was nothing artificial about her.**

"Aww! Thanks!" Aphrodite smiled. She flicked her hair back. "I try."

"I thought we were going _together_." Hephaestus grumbled.

"This before we made the plan." Aphrodite reminded. "Besides, I'm just browsing."

"Browsing in the mall of our enemy." Artemis remarked, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You better hope you don't get kidnapped too."

**"Aphrodite," Piper said.**

Aphrodite squirmed nervously in her throne. "It's always so strange seeing your kids for the first time, I hope I make the right impression."

She smoothed out the wrinkles on her dress.

"Well, she didn't call you 'Fur Face', so I'd say you're off to a good start." Hermes commented.

**"Mom?"**

Said goddess beamed.

"She called me, 'Mom'." she widely smiled.

"At least someone's using the proper titles." Hera glared at Leo, who was making a tin foil tower.

"Hephaestus doesn't mind." he responded.

"It doesn't matter if he minds it or not, you still have to refer to him with a title of respect. If you're not going to call him 'Dad', then the least you could do is call him 'Father' or 'sir'."

Leo made a face as Hephaestus waved her off.

"He can call me whatever he wants." the god replied.

**The goddess smiled. "You're only dreaming, my sweet. If anyone wonders, I wasn't here. Okay?"**

The gods stared at her. 

"It'll be quick, I promise." Aphrodite told them.

**"I—" Piper wanted to ask a thousand questions, but they all crowded together in her head.**

Percy grinned in understanding.

**Aphrodite held up a turquoise dress. Piper thought it looked awesome, but the goddess made a face.**

"Turquoise isn't for my color." the goddess explained, before adding as an afterthought. "But Piper might look cute in it."

**"This—this building exploded," Piper stammered. "I saw it."**

"Exactly!" Percy said in agreement.

 **"Yes," Aphrodite agreed. "I suppose that's why everything's on sale. Just a memory, now. And I'm sorry to pull you out of your other dream. Much** **more pleasant, I know."**

The Aphrodite campers giggled in agreement.

 **... [Piper] "It wasn't real. It** **never even happened. So why do I remember it so vividly?"**

 _Because you're desperate?_   Drew supplied.

 **... [Aphrodite] "Because you are my daughter, Piper. You see possibilities much more vividly than others. You see what could be. And it still** **might be—don't give up. Unfortunately—" The goddess gestured around the department store. "You have other trials to face, first. Medea will be back,**

"What?" Percy said as Annabeth nodded in agreement. "How? That should've killed her!"

"It probably did," Nico said, not meeting his eyes. "But since the Doors of Death are open, she could've came back a couple minutes after."

"That could've been it." Annabeth agreed. She grinned at Percy. "Then we'd both be right."

Percy grinned back. "Sounds good to me."

 _Why do I even speak?_ Nico sighed.

**along with many other enemies. The Doors of Death have opened."**

**... [Piper] "The sleeping woman, the one Medea and Midas called their patron. She's managed to open a new entrance from the Underworld. She's letting the dead escape back into the world."**

**"Mmm. And not just _any_ dead. The worst, the most powerful, the ones most likely to hate the gods."**

Hades groaned. "Of course."

"If they're like Midas, then they can't be too hard for Thanatos to catch." Apollo commented.

 _Speaking of Thanatos,_ Hades thought. _Where is he? He should be regulating this mess!_

An uneasy feeling settled in his stomach.

**"The monsters are coming back from Tartarus the same way," Piper guessed. "That's why they don't stay disintegrated."**

**"Yes. Their _patron_ , as you call her, has a special relationship with Tartarus, the spirit of the pit." Aphrodite held up a gold sequined top.**

The goddess of love made a face. _Ugh! Put that back please._

 **"No... this** **would make me look ridiculous."**

**...[Piper] "You? You can't look anything but perfect."**

Aphrodite smiled once more.

**"You're sweet," Aphrodite said. "But beauty is about finding the right fit, the most natural fit. To be perfect, you have to feel perfect about yourself —avoid trying to be something you're not. For a goddess, that's especially hard. We can change so easily."**

**"My dad thought you were perfect." Piper's voice quavered. "He never got over you."**

The smile on the goddess' face vanished at that statement.

Expecting something similar to Leo's earlier reaction, the demigods winced.

**"I'm sorry, dear. I didn't want to leave your father, of course. It's always so hard, but it was for the best. If he had realized who I actually was—"**

**"Wait—he didn't know you were a goddess?"**

**"Of course not." Aphrodite sounded offended. "I wouldn't do that to him. For most mortals, that's simply too hard to accept. It can ruin their lives! Ask** **your friend Jason— _lovely_ boy, by the way. His poor mother was destroyed when she found out she'd fallen in love with Zeus. **

 _That's a good point._ Thalia thought with a sigh. Maybe things would've been a little bit better if she never found out.

 **No, it was much better** **Tristan believed that I was a mortal woman who left him without explanation. Better a bittersweet memory than an immortal, unattainable goddess. Which** **brings me to an important matter..."**

**She opened her hand and showed Piper a glowing glass vial of pink liquid. "This is one of Medea's kinder mixtures. It erases only recent memories. When you save your father, _if_ you can save him, you should give him this."**

**...[Piper] "You want me to dope my dad? You want me to make him forget what he's been through?"**

"It's for the best, Piper." Aphrodite muttered.  _It's the only way he can go back to living a normal life._

 **...[Aphrodite] "Your father acts confident, Piper, but he walks a fine line between two worlds.** **He's worked his whole life to deny the old stories about gods and spirits, yet he fears those stories might be real. He fears that he's shut off an important** **part of himself, and someday it will destroy him.**

Aphrodite bit her lip and twirled her hair.

 **Now he's been captured by a giant. He's living a nightmare. Even if he survives... if he has to spend the** **rest of his life with those memories, knowing that gods and spirits walk the earth, it will shatter him. That's what our enemy hopes for. She will break him,** **and thus break your spirit."** **  
**

**Piper wanted to shout that Aphrodite was wrong.**

_Please try to understand._ the goddess of love silently pleaded.

 **...But somehow she couldn't stay angry with Aphrodite. She remembered what her dad had said months ago, at the beach at Big Sur: If I really** **believed in Ghost Country, or animal spirits, or Greek gods... I don't think I could sleep at night. I'd always be looking for somebody to blame.**

**Now Piper wanted someone to blame, too.**

**"Who is she?" Piper demanded. "The one controlling the giants?"**

"Finally! We get a name!" Travis commented as the demigods (with the exception of Annabeth) leaned forward.

"Please don't let it be who I think it is." the daughter of Athena murmured. "Please let me be wrong."

 **Aphrodite pursed her lips. She moved to the next rack, which held battered armor and ripped togas, but Aphrodite looked through them as if they** **were designer outfits.**

 _Just tell us!_ Chris thought impatiently.

Also having similar thoughts, the demigods silently fidgeted.

 **"You have a strong will," she mused. "I'm never given much credit among the gods. My children are laughed at. They're dismissed as conceited and** **shallow."**

"Tell me about it." Mitchell said, as a few a the Aphrodite campers nodded along sadly in agreement.

"People act like we're the worst, but we aren't nearly as bad as some of the other campers." Drew said. "Have you seen how arrogant the Ares kids get? They brag about how awesome and strong they are, when half of them haven't even gone on a single quest yet."

Clarisse gritted her teeth but stayed quiet.

Ares glared at her. "Seriously, are you going to let her talk about your Cabin like that? Go over there and kick her teeth in!"

He hissed in pain when Aphrodite swiftly ground her heel on his foot.

**"Some of them are."**

"Trust me, we know." Clarisse said, glaring at Drew.

 **Aphrodite laughed. "Granted. Perhaps I'm conceited and shallow, too, sometimes. A girl has to indulge. Oh, this is nice." She picked up a burned** **and stained bronze breastplate and held it up for Piper to see. "No?"**

"Why would you want that?" Athena asked with a frown.

Aphrodite shrugged. "It was probably 'buy one, get one free'."

"Are you ever going to answer the question?" Will groaned.

"I'm getting there." the goddess told him.

 **... [Aphrodite] "My point is that love is the most powerful motivator in the world. It spurs mortals to greatness. Their noblest,** **bravest acts are done for love."**

"Oh _please_ ," Artemis rolled her eyes.

**Piper pulled out her dagger and studied its reflective blade. "Like Helen starting the Trojan War?"**

"Exactly! That's a great example!" Aphrodite sighed fondly. "They were such a cute couple."

 **"Ah, Katoptris." Aphrodite smiled. "I'm glad you found it. I get so much flack for that war, but honestly, Paris and Helen were a cute couple.** **And the** **heroes of that war are immortal now—at least in the memories of men. Love is powerful, Piper. It can bring even the gods to their knees.**

"Not me." Artemis huffed.

"Am I the only one who remembers Orion?" Aphrodite asked offhandedly.

The goddess of the moon looked as if she'd been slapped.

"We're not talking about him." Apollo said firmly with a scowl.

"Funny," Aphrodite commented with a scowl of her own. "You had no problem bringing up Adonis before, wonder what's so different about this."

Athena continued reading before an argument could break out.

 **I told this to my** **son Aeneas when he escaped from Troy. He thought he had failed. He thought he was a loser! But he traveled to Italy—"**

**"And became the forebear of Rome."**

**"Exactly. You see, Piper, my children can be quite powerful. You can be quite powerful, because my lineage is unique. I am closer to the beginning of** **creation than any other Olympian."**

**...[Piper] "Didn't you ... rise from the sea? Standing on a seashell?"**

Aphrodite quirked a smile at that. "Honestly, I don't where Botticelli got that from."

 **... [Aphrodite] "That painter Botticelli had quite an imagination. I never stood on a seashell, thank you very much. But yes, I rose from the** **sea. The first beings to rise from Chaos were the Earth and Sky—Gaea and Ouranos. When their son the Titan Kronos killed Ouranos—"**

**"By chopping him to pieces with a scythe," Piper remembered.**

"Don't remind me." the goddess said, momentarily making a look of disgust.

**...Aphrodite waited, as if she could sense Piper slowly putting together the pieces of a puzzle, which made a dreadful picture.**

**"Gaea," Piper said.** **"The earth itself. That's our enemy."** Athena read grimly.

Leo held his breath as he took in their reactions.

As the deafening silence slowly suffocated the occupants, the gods and Annabeth looked miserable. They had been hoping that their enemy would be someone else, but their wishing was in vain.

"Wait... Dirt Woman is Gaea...?" Travis nervously chuckled. "Isn't that, like, Mother Nature or something?"

"Don't be fooled," Hermes said. Travis felt a shiver run down his spine at the serious tone in the god's voice. "She is the most oldest and powerful deity to have ever existed. She is the mother of the giants and is more powerful in comparison. The last person we'd ever want to wake, is her."

"She's not only the mother of monsters," Athena continued, keeping her eyes on the pages. "She plans to wipe out the entire existence of all who oppose her and create a new world for the giants."

"What?!" Connor squeaked. His eyes darted to the floor, as if he was expecting it to bite his leg off.

"H-H-How can w-we s-stop her?" Lacy stuttered, looking close to fainting.

"There's no real way to stop her." the goddess of wisdom said. "The best we can do is prevent her from waking and lull her back to sleep."

"And if she does wake up, what do we do?" Travis said, breath hitching as he grabbed a fistful of his hair. "First the Romans, then the giants, and now Gaea! How are we supposed to deal with all of these problems at the same time? Why can't we just blow up the world and start over again on Mars!"

Leo suddenly sat upright. His eyes wide as the words echoed in his head. _Blow up the world and start over. Blow up the world. Start over. Blow up and start over... with Asclepius's medicine._

He shook his head. His hands shaking as he adjusted his hat.

 _No, that's crazy._ he told himself. _It's one thing to cheat death, but it's another thing entirely to do it after blowing up Gaea. I'm strong, but I'm not that strong. How can I even do that? Won't she have to be awake? Well, she's going to wake up eventually. Maybe if I..._

As the demigods urgently pressed their parents for more answers, Leo stared off into nothing, silently mulling over something.

"Yeah," he concluded, not realizing he was speaking out loud. "That could work." _I still need more information first. But this could work._

"What are you talking about?! What could work?!" Katie asked, sounding on the edge of being hysterical.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it." Leo told her. Channeling his inner Annabeth Chase, he schooled his features into a more determined look. Before he could move forward with his plan, the first thing that needed to be done was to get the Greeks to be willing to work together with the Romans.

"Okay! Okay everyone! Calm down! Time out! The prophet from the future has something to say!" Leo yelled over them, making a 'Time Out' signal.

It took a couple more tries to get their attention, but eventually everyone settled down in tense silence as they stared at the teenager.

Leo tried not to look uncomfortable as he stood up, he kept his back straight and forced his eyes forward.

 _Remember how Annabeth acted._ _Be confident._ he told himself, maintaining a determined expression.

Percy took in his appearance, before glancing at Annabeth with a confused frown. 

"Now that you guys know the truth, you know just how serious this war's going to be." he said solemnly. It was at that point that he realized that he still had the stupid hat on, but it was too late to take it off, so Leo nervously hoped his serious expression and the heavy topic would outweigh the 'conspiracy nut' look.

"I'm not going to lie, this is going to be hard. Gaea is slowly gaining power as we speak." The demigods' eyes widened dramatically. "In my time period, she's becoming more active every minute. But we still have a chance to beat her and the giants."

Lacy relaxed a bit at that.

"So you and the other six have a plan?" she asked, the other readers perked up at her question.

For the tiniest moment, Leo hesitated before he said: "Yes."

He made sure to sound confident and look directly at her forehead as he spoke.

 What was he supposed to say? He'd only known most of these people for day, but he knew they'd be screaming at him for the half-baked idea he had cooked up. Heck, if the others back at the Argo II ever found out, they'd probably leave him tied to the mast while they went off to fight the giants. And that obviously wasn't happening.

The demigods sighed with relief.

"What is it?" Annabeth asked.

Leo looked at the wall next to her.

"Can't really say, it's still a work in progress. But we need to work together with the Romans if we want this to even have a possibility of working. There's no way we can fend off the giants (and yes, there'll be more than one) with how small we are. The Greeks and Romans have the same goal, so there's no point in us working separately."

Athena snorted. "Of course it all comes back to this."

The demigods still looked uneasy, Chris spoke up with uncertainty: "How do we know we can trust them?"

 _Oh for love of-!_ Leo resisted the urge to smack his forehead. _I literally just told you, we need to work together to win this war and you ask me this! __I swear, these guys like to act like they're different, but they're just as stubborn as the gods._  

Leo repressed the urge to roll his eyes.

"We don't, but we take the chance and hope for the best, because if we don't end this feud, it's going to get us killed." Leo tried to sound patient, like a teacher to a student, but something in his voice must've had a bit of gruffness, judging by some of the readers' wincing.

They stared at each other for awhile in silence. Finally Lacy squeaked out: "I think it's worth a try."

Slowly, more and more demigods started hesitantly agreeing. They still didn't look gung-ho about the situation, but they seemed to finally understand that their lives, their families, and friends were worth more than fighting potential allies.

Annabeth and Percy smiled at him. Percy gave him a thumbs up.

The gods looked just as wary as the demigods, but there was a light in their eyes that Leo hadn't seen before. Maybe it was hope that things would work out? 

The only person who didn't look reluctantly accepting as the others was Athena, who openly glared daggers at him.

 _Whatever._ Leo thought, sitting back down. _Can't please them all._

" _Right_ ," the goddess growled angrily. "Now that we've gotten that sorted out, let's continue reading."

Athena narrowed her eyes at Leo as if silently saying: _Maybe I should have you read next._

Leo tried not to seem bothered by her look as the goddess picked up where she left off.

 **She hoped Aphrodite would say no, but the goddess kept her eyes on the rack of tattered armor. "She has slumbered for eons, but she is slowly** **waking. Even asleep, she is powerful, but once she wakes... we will be doomed.**

Some of the demigods trembled.

"I really hope your plan works." Connor told the son of Hephaestus.

Leo forced himself to grin. "Yeah... me too."

 **You must defeat the giants before that happens, and lull Gaea back** **into her slumber. Otherwise the rebellion has only begun. The dead will continue to rise. Monsters will regenerate with even greater speed. The giants will** **lay waste to the birthplace of the if they do that, all civilization will burn."**

"No pressure or anything." Travis muttered.

**"But Gaea? Mother Earth?"**

**"Do not underestimate her," Aphrodite warned. "She is a cruel deity. She orchestrated Ouranos's death. She gave Kronos the sickle and urged him** **to kill his own father.**

Percy's eyes widened. " _Gods,_ she was behind that too? Wasn't he her husband?"

"She didn't care as long as Father got power." Hestia said, busily tending to her hearth.

 **While the Titans ruled the world, she slumbered in peace. But when the gods overthrew them, Gaea woke again in all her anger and** **gave birth to a new race—the giants—to destroy Olympus once and for all."**

"Just like now." Annabeth said.

**… [Aphrodite] "Now you know. What will you do?"**

**"Me?" Piper clenched her fists. "What am I supposed to do? Put on a pretty dress and sweet-talk Gaea into going back to sleep?"**

"I wish." Aphrodite sighed.

 **"I wish that would work," Aphrodite said. "But no, you will have to find your own strengths, and fight for what you love. Like my favored ones, Helen and** **Paris. Like my son Aeneas."**

**"Helen and Paris died," Piper said.**

**"And Aeneas became a hero," the goddess countered.** **"The first great hero of Rome. The result will depend on you, Piper, but I will tell you this: The seven greatest demigods must be gathered to defeat the giants, and that effort will not succeed without you. When the two sides meet ... you will be the mediator. You will determine whether there is friendship or bloodshed."**

**"What two sides?"**

**Piper's vision began to dim.**

**"You must wake soon, my child," said the goddess. "I do not always agree with Hera, but she's taken a bold risk, and I agree it must be done. Zeus** **has kept the two sides apart for too long.**

Hera nodded along with this.

**Only together will you have the power to save Olympus. Now, wake, and I hope you like the clothes I picked out."**

"Clothes?" Lacy brightened up a bit at this.

**"What clothes?" Piper demanded, but the dream faded to black.**

"Finished." Athena grunted. She wordlessly held out the book for the next volunteer. 

"Er… I'll read next." Jake said. He slowly took the book from her, as if he was afraid she was going to jump him, before sitting back down.

" **Piper XL** ," he read.


	41. Piper XL

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3\. Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" **Piper XL** ," Jake read.

**Piper woke at a table at a sidewalk café.**

The readers looked confused at that.

"Out of all the places they could've gone to, they end up there." Will said. "Where even are they?"

 **For a second, she thought she was still dreaming. It was a sunny morning. The air was brisk but not unpleasant for sitting outside. At the other tables,** **a mix of bicyclists, business people, and college kids sat chatting and drinking coffee.** **She could smell eucalyptus trees. Lots of foot traffic passed in front of quaint little shops. The street was lined with bottle-brush trees and blooming** **azaleas as if winter was a foreign concept.**

"California." Annabeth told the son of Apollo.

Percy gave her a look of disbelief. "You could tell just from that?"

"If you've ever lived there, you could tell." she replied with a shrug.

**In other words: she was in California.**

"See." Annabeth smiled.

"It could've been Michigan, for all I knew." he muttered.

 **Her friends sat in chairs around her... dozing pleasantly. And they all had new clothes** **on.**

"Aphrodite beautified you too, huh?" Travis asked with a grin.

"Kinda, but that outfit's long gone now." Leo sighed. _It's too bad, I actually liked those suspenders._

Aphrodite frowned. "You didn't like what I picked out for you?"

"It's not about liking it, a lot of my clothes don't last very long. I always end up burning them into a pile of ash."

Now Lacy looked confused.

"But you were on fire a couple times before and your jacket's still fine. How'd you even get it back if Mom took it away from you?"

Although he tried to fight it, Leo couldn't stop the fond grin.

"Oh, this isn't the original, this is a hundred times better than the first one! I never have to worry about burning outfits again!" he bragged. "Not only is the fabric fireproof, the jacket is also able to stay fresh and clean without having to wash it!"

"Wow, that's pretty cool." Connor admitted. 

"Right?! She'd make an awesome seamstress!" Leo responded without thinking. His voice carried a sense of vicarious pride that caused eyebrows to rise and an intrigued expression to light up on Aphrodite's face. He didn't notice as he sighed, thoughts drifting. _Leo and Calypso's Garage: Auto Repair and Mechanical Monsters with Fruits, Vegetables, Cider, Stew, and Magical Clothing. Geez! We should just change the name to Leo and Calypso's Big Bodega: We Basically Have Everything!_

He was smiling to himself, when he noticed the odd looks he was getting. Leo quickly dropped the dopey expression and pushed away his thoughts. He brushed his hair back.

"So, yeah, the jacket's pretty cool. Blah blah blah. Next sentence please." he said hastily, trying not too look to embarrassed. _I really need to get that girl out of my head._

"No wait! I want to hear more about this mystery seamstress!" Aphrodite squealed.

Leo sent his brother a pleading look.

Feeling sympathetic, Jake kept reading. 

The goddess pouted.

**Piper looked down at her own outfit and gasped. "Mother!"**

The pout didn't last very long after hearing that.

"You'd really think I'd help your friends without giving something nice?" Aphrodite asked rhetorically with a small snicker. "Piper, please."

 **She yelled louder than she meant... and then all of them were awake.** **  
**

**"What?" Hedge demanded. "Fight who? Where?"**

**"Falling!" Leo grabbed the table. "No—not falling. Where are we?"**

**Jason blinked, trying to get his bearings. He focused on Piper and made a little choking sound. "** **What are you wearing?"**

The goddess of love and her daughters giggled.

**Piper probably blushed. She was wearing the turquoise dress she'd seen in her dream,**

Aphrodite nodded in approval. "Good call. Turquoise is definitely her color."

 **with black leggings and black leather boots...** **and her old snowboarding jacket from her dad, which amazingly went with** **the outfit pretty well.**

 _Aw! She sounds so cute in that outfit!_ Aphrodite smiled.

**She pulled out Katoptris, and judging from the reflection in the blade, she'd gotten her hair done, too.**

"Can't have a makeover without getting your hair done." Lacy said, a few of her siblings nodded along with agreement.

**"It's nothing."**

**Leo grinned. "Aphrodite strikes again, huh? You're gonna be the best-dressed warrior in town, beauty queen."**

"Gotta look your best when you're about to battle a giant!" Travis chuckled.

"Don't want him thinking you're a slob!" Connor added, laughing with him.

"Exactly." Aphrodite agreed. 

**"Hey, Leo." Jason nudged his arm. "You look at yourself recently?"**

**"What ... oh."**

**...Leo was wearing pinstriped pants, black leather shoes, a white collarless shirt with suspenders, and his tool belt, Ray-Ban sunglasses, and a porkpie hat.**

Connor started making catcalls.

Travis attempted a wolf whistle but ended up blowing spit.

Katie made a face of disgust at the spittle flown everywhere.

"Shut up!" Leo playfully rolled his eyes.

"It's too bad the outfit's gone." Aphrodite said. "It suits you." _Maybe I should enchant the clothes to be fireproof in the future._

**"God, Leo." Piper tried not to laugh. "I think my dad wore that to his last premiere, minus the tool belt."**

"Her father has good taste." Aphrodite grinned.

"Whatever! Suspenders are the new 'it'!" Leo declared.

"For grandpas, maybe." Travis teased.

"We'll see if you're still saying that in a couple of years." the son of Hephaestus sniffed. 

**..."I think he looks good," said Coach Hedge. "'Course, I look better."**

**The satyr was a pastel nightmare. Aphrodite had given him a baggy canary yellow zoot suit with two-tone shoes that fit over his hooves. He had a** **matching yellow broad-brimmed hat, a rose-colored shirt, a baby blue tie, and a blue carnation in his lapel,**

"A nightmare?" the goddess said in disbelief. "What is she talking about? He sounds great! Zoot suits are making a comeback too!"

"The outfit might be too bright." Lacy commented. "Yellow's a hard color to pull off."

"True," her mother hummed in agreement. "But the blue carnation and tie help balance it out. It gives it a sophisticated yet playful appearance." 

Her children listened closely and nodded along with her observations.

The other readers blinked and exchanged glances.

**which Hedge sniffed and then ate it.**

A couple of Aphrodite kids gasped.

The goddess of love looked aghast.

" _No!_ What is he doing?! The flower was what made the suit so classy! Without it, he'll just have _an empty pocket!_ The outfit's ruined!"

"All that because of a flower." Artemis summed up. "You do realize they're still on a quest, right? Not some fashion runway."

"I put a lot of consideration into choosing outfits for others." she explained. "I care a lot about what they do with them."

**"Well," Jason said, "at least your mom overlooked me."**

"That can't be possible." Aphrodite argued. "I had to have a reason."

**Piper knew that wasn't exactly true. Looking at him, her heart did a little tap dance.**

" _Aww!_ " Lacy giggled.

 **Jason was dressed simply in jeans and a clean purple T-shirt,** **like** **he'd worn at the Grand Canyon.**

A couple demigods resisted the urge to roll their eyes or scoff.

Leo drummed his fingers on the wall.

 **He had new track shoes on, and his hair was newly trimmed. His eyes were the same color as the sky. Aphrodite's** **message was clear: _This one needs no improvement._**

"Sometimes a simplistic style is better than a flashy one." Aphrodite commented with a grin.

**And Piper agreed.**

_You're welcome!_ the goddess giggled.

**... [Piper] "how did we get here?"**

**"Oh, that would be Mellie," Hedge said, chewing happily on his carnation.**

Aphrodite's smiled wavered a bit. _If you're going to eat it, be quick about it._

 **"Those winds shot us halfway across the country, I'd guess. We would've** **been smashed flat on impact, but Mellie's last gift—a nice soft breeze—cushioned our fall."**

**"And she got fired for us," Leo said. "Man, we suck."**

"Don't worry about it, she would've been fired anyway." Hermes said.

 **"Ah, she'll be fine," Hedge said. "Besides, she couldn't help herself. I've got that effect on nymphs. I'll send her a message when we're through with** **this quest and help her figure something out. That is one _aura_ I could settle down with and raise a herd of baby goats."**

"That's so sweet!" Aphrodite cooed.

Leo shuddered. _As if one bloodthirsty goat wasn't bad enough._

Having similar thoughts, Grover made a face.

**"I'm going to be sick," Piper said. "Anyone else want coffee?"**

**"Coffee!" Hedge's grin was stained blue from the flower.**

_Well, at least his teeth match his tie..._ the goddess thought with a patient sigh.

**"I love coffee!"**

"Do you guys even have money saved up?" Will asked.

"Don't worry, we got plenty." Leo grinned, swinging his leg back and forth.

 **...She reached into her coat pocket and felt two things she** **hadn't expected. One was a wad of cash. The other was a glass vial—the amnesia potion. She left the vial in her pocket and brought out the money.**

**Leo whistled. "Allowance? Piper, your mom rocks!"**

"Thank you, sweetheart." Aphrodite told the teen.

 **...It didn't take them long to figure out where they were. The menus said "Café Verve, Walnut Creek, CA." And according to the waitress, it was 9 a.m. on** **December 21, the winter solstice, which gave them three hours until Enceladus's deadline.**

 **They didn't have to wonder where Mount Diablo was, either. T** **hey could see it on the horizon, right at the end of the street.**

"At least it's not that far." Annabeth commented. "Maybe they could get a taxi to drive them there." 

**...[Leo] "Now—what's our game plan?"**

**Coach Hedge belched. He'd already had three espressos and a plate of doughnuts, along with two napkins and another flower from the vase on the** **table.**

"Wasn't one enough." Aphrodite said under her breath. _At least put one of them in your pocket._

**He would've eaten the silverware, except Piper had slapped his hand.**

"If he ate cereal, he would've been full already." Demeter remarked, earning a annoyed sigh from Hades.

**"Climb the mountain," Hedge said. "Kill everything except Piper's dad. Leave."**

"Good plan." Ares approved.

"Except it has millions of ways it can go wrong." Athena said, rolling her eyes.

**..."Guys," Piper said. "There's more you need to know."**

**It was tricky, because she couldn't mention her mom; but she told them she'd figured some things out in her dreams. She told them about their real** **enemy: Gaea.**

The readers tensed.

Leo cracked his fingers.

 **"Gaea?" Leo shook his head. "Isn't that Mother Nature? She's supposed to have, like, flowers in her hair and birds singing around her and deer and** **rabbits doing her laundry."**

Katie made a face.

"Uh... Pretty sure that's Snow White..." she corrected. 

"I know that now." Leo said with a sheepish smile.

 **..."Listen, cupcake." Coach Hedge dabbed the espresso out of his goatee. "Piper's telling us some serious stuff, here. Gaea's no softie. I'm not even** **sure _I_ could take her."**

"And that's coming from the guy who wants to fight everybody." Grover said with a shiver.

"I never thought he'd say something like that." Clarisse frowned.

**...[Hedge] "This earth lady—she and her old man the sky were nasty customers."**

**"Ouranos," Piper said. She couldn't help looking up at the blue sky, wondering if it had eyes.**

" _Gods..._ Don't jinx us." Percy shuddered.

 **"Right," Hedge said. "So Ouranos, he's not the best dad. He throws their first kids, the Cyclopes, into Tartarus. That makes Gaea mad, but she bides** **her time. Then they have another set of kids—the twelve Titans—and Gaea is afraid they'll get thrown into prison too. So she goes up to her son** **Kronos—"**

**"The big bad dude," Leo said. "The one they defeated last summer."**

**"Right. And Gaea's the one who gives him the scythe, and tells him, 'Hey, why don't I call your dad down here? And while he's talking to me,** **distracted, you can cut him to pieces. Then you can take over the world. Wouldn't that be great?'"**

A couple people in the room shivered.

"Seriously, who does that?" Percy muttered. **  
**

**..."Definitely not Snow White," she decided.**

"Not even close." Katie agreed.

 **"Nah, Kronos was a bad guy," Hedge said. "But Gaea is literally the mother of all bad guys. She's so old and powerful, so huge, that it's hard for her** **to be fully conscious. Most of the time, she sleeps, and that's the way we like her—snoring."**

**"But she talked to me," Leo said. "How can she be asleep?"**

**Gleeson brushed crumbs off his canary yellow lapel. He was on his sixth espresso now, and his pupils were as big as quarters.** **"Even in her sleep,** **part of her consciousness is active—dreaming, keeping watch, doing little things like causing volcanoes to explode and monsters to rise. Even now,** **she's not fully awake. Believe me, you don't want to see her fully awake."**

Everyone in the room shuddered.

**"But she's getting more powerful," Piper said. "She's causing the giants to if their king comes back—this guy Porphyrion—"**

**"He'll raise an army to destroy the gods," Jason put in. "Starting with Hera. It'll be another war. And Gaea will wake up fully."**

"Which is why, they should be on they're way to rescue me instead of Piper's father." Hera said through gritted her teeth.

"We're already on it." Thalia reminded rolling her eyes. 

**...[Hedge] "Which is why it's a good idea for us to stay off the ground as much as possible."**

**Leo looked warily at Mount Diablo. "So ... climbing a mountain. That would be bad."**

"Gaea might not try to stop you since it's a trap." Annabeth pointed out. "And Enceladus still wants to try to get Piper on their side. It might be easier to get there."

 **Piper's heart sank. First, she'd been asked to betray her friends. Now they were trying to help her rescue her dad even though they knew they were** **walking into a trap. The idea of fighting a giant had been scary enough. But the idea that Gaea was behind it—a force more powerful than a god or Titan ...**

**"Guys, I can't ask you to do this," Piper said. "This is too dangerous."**

"Huh-uh, as if we were going to agree to ditch her dad." Leo said with a snort. He searched through his tool belt. 

**"You kidding?" Gleeson belched and showed them his blue carnation smile. "Who's ready to beat stuff up?"**

Clarisse laughed.

"That's the end of the chapter." Jake said. "Anybody want to read next?"

"I'll do it." Percy volunteered, taking the book out of Jake's hands.

" **Leo XLI** ," Percy read.


	42. Leo XLI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3\. Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" **Leo XLI** ," Percy read.

**Leo hoped the taxi could take them all the way to the top.** **No such luck.**

"Even if it did, it would be too dangerous to bring a mortal there." Hestia said.

**The cab made lurching, grinding sounds as it climbed the mountain road,**

"Sounds like it has a transmission problem or a bad axle." Hephaestus noted.

**and halfway up they found the ranger's station closed, a chain blocking the way.**

**"Far as I can go," the cabbie said. "You sure about this? Gonna be a long walk back, and my car's acting funny. I can't wait for you."**

**"We're sure." Leo was the first one out...**

**The wheels were sinking into the road like it was made of quicksand.**

The demigods tensed.

_And she's not even awake yet..._ Annabeth grimaced.

"Why would Gaea try to do that if they are directly going into a trap?" Percy asked warily.

"To slow them down." Hera said, crossing her arms. "Even if they somehow manage to save Piper's father and defeat Enceladus, it wouldn't matter if I'm not saved before the solstice."

**...Leo's shoes were starting to sink. Gaea was messing with** **them.**

**While his friends got out, Leo paid the cabbie. He was generous—heck, why not? It was Aphrodite's money.**

Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that..."

**Plus, he had a feeling he might never** **be coming off this mountain.**

"Don't say that, boy." Hephaestus stiffened.

"Sorry." Leo shrugged unapologetically. He reached into his toolbelt and pulled out a pair of pliers. He snapped the tool's jaw open and closed.

**...The view from the mountain was pretty amazing. The whole inland valley around Mount Diablo was a patchwork of towns—grids of tree-lined streets** **and nice middle-class suburbs, shops, and these normal people living normal lives—the kind Leo had never known.**

"Join the club." Percy said with an understanding sigh.

Poseidon winced.

**"That's Concord," Jason said, pointing to the north. "Walnut Creek below us. To the south, Danville, past those that way ..."**

**He pointed west, where a ridge of golden hills held back a layer of fog, like the rim of a bowl. "That's the Berkeley Hills. The East Bay. Past that, San** **Francisco."**

Thalia raised an eyebrow. "He's been here before?"

"It would make sense, he helped overthrow Kronos's throne at Mount Othrys." Percy reminded.

"Right, but he shouldn't know about the west that well..." Annabeth said, playing with her necklace. "He sounds too familiar with the place, it's like..."

The gods winced as her eyes widened in realization. 

" _Wait..._ " she said slowly. Annabeth turned to them. "He's... The Romans... They live in _California_? Is that why you told us to stay away from the Bay Area?" 

Annabeth look stupefied. _They were literally under my nose this whole time._

"It was for your own safety." Zeus stated. "You would've been killed on the spot if you ever ventured too close to their camp."

The demigods gulped and visibly paled.

"I'm sorry, what?!" Connor squeaked.

"Relax! You know he's overdramatic!" Leo cut in, waving his arm. He accidentally smacked the Stoll's shoulder.

" _Excuse me?_ " said god rumbled. 

"What I mean is," the son of Hephaestus quickly went on. "We'll be fine guys! Things will work out!" _At least, I hope._

"Yeah, we'll have Annabeth and Piper to help sort things out!" Percy added. 

The demigods seemed to relax at that, Annabeth looked a bit uneasy about his words, but didn't comment.

_Can I really do something like that?_ she thought. _Leo said that they were willing to work with us, but our relationship is so fragile. Anything can go wrong._

She tried to take comfort that Piper will be there to help her in case anything went wrong.

**"That's Titan land." Coach Hedge nodded toward the west. "Bad place, Jason. Trust me, this is as close to 'Frisco as we want to get."** **  
**

**But Jason looked toward the foggy basin with such longing that Leo felt uneasy. Why did Jason seem so connected with that place—a place Hedge** **said was evil, full of bad magic and old enemies?**

"Obviously that's a lie." Leo commented, kicking his shoe.

"Doesn't sound to far off to me." Athena grumbled.

**What if Jason came from here? Everybody kept hinting Jason was an enemy, that his arrival at Camp** **Half-Blood was a dangerous mistake.**

The demigods shifted uncomfortably.

"It's a risk we gotta take." Mitchell muttered, shivering slightly as he glanced at the ground.

"Yup." Leo nodded in agreement. _Finally, took you long enough to realize that._

**...Leo tried to move his foot, but his heels were now completely embedded in the dirt.**

The readers grimaced.

**"Hey, guys," he said. "Let's keep moving."**

**The others noticed the problem.**

**...[Hedge] He popped his hooves free from his shoes, then handed the shoes to Leo. "Keep those for me, Valdez.** **They're nice."**

**Leo snorted. "Yes, sir, Coach. Would you like them polished?"**

"Well, now that you mentioned it..." Travis snickered.

"Since you're offering..." Connor trailed off, snickering with his brother.

Leo rolled his eyes as he fiddled with a couple pieces from his tool belt.

**"That's varsity thinking, Valdez." Hedge nodded** **approvingly** , earning laughter from Hermes and his sons. **"But first, we'd better hike up this mountain while we still can."**

**"How do we know where the giant is?" Piper asked.**

"He's obviously at the top, duh." Drew rolled her eyes. "Don't you remember from your dream?"

**Jason pointed toward the peak. Drifting across the summit was a plume of smoke. From a distance, Leo had thought it was a cloud, but it wasn't.**

"And there's that..." the daughter of Aphrodite grumbled. "Seriously, how did she miss that?"

**Something was burning.**

Aphrodite nervously straightened the wrinkles on her dress.

**The Wilderness School had taken Leo on several forced marches. He thought he was in good shape.**

Phoebe snorted at that. A few of the hunters giggled as they remembered his last hiking attempt.

**But climbing a mountain when the earth was trying** **to swallow his feet was like jogging on a flypaper treadmill.**

**...He wished Aphrodite had given him walking shorts and some more comfortable shoes,**

"Sorry, I guess I got a bit carried away." the goddess smiled apologetically. "I'll keep that in mind next time."

**...By the time they neared the crest of the mountain, Leo was the most fashionably dressed sweaty, dirty hero ever.**

Aphrodite made a face at that. "Well... at least you still look nice..."

**His hands were covered in** **machine grease.**

"Please don't wipe them on your pants," the goddess of love pleaded. "I don't think I can handle another ruined outfit."

"I don't." Leo swore. _At least, I don't think I did._

**...he missed Festus. He could use a fire-breathing bronze dragon right now.**

"He would've been handy to have right about now..." Percy muttered. "Maybe cause a distraction or swoop in and save Piper's dad."

Nyssa and Jake sighed sadly.

"We can still make a new body for him." the daughter of Hephaestus reminded. "He'll be good as new once we finish him."

**But Leo knew Festus would not be coming back—at least, not in his old form.**

"We'll make him better than before." Nyssa swore.

**He patted the picture in his pocket—the crayon drawing he'd made at the picnic table...** **_It isn't time yet, little hero,_ Tía ** **Callida had told him.** _**Someday, yes. You'll have your quest. You will find your destiny, and your hard journey will finally make sense.** _

**Now Aeolus had returned the picture. Leo knew that meant his destiny was getting close; but the journey was as frustrating as this stupid mountain.**

**...First things first, Leo told himself. Survive today. Figure out crayon drawing of destiny later.**

Apollo chuckled.

**Finally Jason crouched behind a wall of rock. He gestured for the others to do the same. Leo crawled up next to him. Piper had to pull Coach Hedge** **down.**

Aphrodite gasped.

"He can't do that!" the goddess said, looking appalled. "He'll get his suit dirty!"

"It's either that or let the giant catch them." Athena reminded her.

The goddess of love still looked like she hated the idea, but she slumped her shoulders in defeat. "It's a sacrifice we have to make."

She miserably flopped onto Ares' shoulder.

"I don't know why you're upset, it's not like he can't just wash his clothes later." Artemis rolled her eyes.

Aphrodite looked at her in disbelief. 

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to remove dirt stains?" she asked. "That outfit will never look the same again!"

"You shouldn't have dressed them up in those clothes in the first place. The outfits my hunters gave them were perfectly fine." Artemis said.

"Not in California. They'd probably pass out from heat stroke with the way they were dressed." Aphrodite argued.

Percy kept reading before the argument could go further.

**"I don't want to get my outfit dirty!" Hedge complained.**

_It's for the best, Gleeson._ the goddess of love thought sympathetically.

**"Shhh!" Piper said.**

**Reluctantly, the satyr knelt.**

Aphrodite bit back a heavy sigh. 

**Just over the ridge where they were hiding...** **the giant Enceladus had set up camp.**

**Trees had been cut down to make a towering purple bonfire. The outer rim of the clearing was littered with extra logs and construction equipment —an earthmover; a big crane thing with rotating blades at the end like an electric shaver—must be a tree harvester, Leo thought—and a long metal** **column with an ax blade, like a sideways guillotine—a hydraulic ax.**

"What's he going to do with all that?" Percy  wondered with a frown.

"Let's hope we never find out..." the goddess of love grimaced.

**... [Leo] He didn't see how the creature in front of him could even fit in the driver's seat. The** **giant Enceladus was so large, so horrible, Leo didn't want to look at him.**

**But he forced himself to focus on the monster.**

The demigods stiffened in anticipation.

**To start with, he was thirty feet tall...**

Eyes widened dramatically at this.

_He makes the Cyclops look like ants!_ Lacy whimpered.

" _Gods,_ I knew they were going to be tall but..." Chris trailed off, nervously exchanging looks with some of the other demigods.

**Leo was sure the giant could've seen them behind their ridge, but he seemed intent** **on the weird purple bonfire, circling it and chanting under his breath. From the waist up, the giant appeared humanoid, his muscular chest clad in bronze** **armor, decorated with flame designs. His arms were completely ripped. Each of his biceps was bigger than Leo...**

"Great, as if being a freakin' _giant_   wasn't bad enough!" Travis groaned. "Why can't he just be tall? Isn't the strength a bit excessive?"

"He was made to destroy the gods," Katie sighed. "Just being tall isn't going to cut it."

"And you said there's going to be more monsters like him in this war?" Mitchell asked Leo, hoping he heard wrong.

The son of Aphrodite felt his heart drop to his stomach as the other boy grimly nodded.

"Awesome." Percy breathed, voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm so glad that the gods aren't helping us at all."

Aphrodite pouted.

"Uh, excuse me! I don't want to brag or anything, but they wouldn't have gotten here if I wasn't there to give them money."

"He means the gods that are actually helpful." Artemis smoothly added. The goddess of love glared daggers at her.

**In his hand,** **Enceladus held a spear the size of a flagpole. Every so often he dipped its tip in the fire, turning the metal molten red.**

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. _What is he doing?_

**"Okay," Coach Hedge whispered. "Here's the plan—"**

"If it has anything to do with you fighting the giant alone, it's a no." Grover deadpanned.

**Leo elbowed him. "You're not charging him alone!"**

**"Aw, c'mon."**

The satyr sighed. _Of course._

"How 'bout you come up with a new plan." Clarisse said.

**Piper choked back a sob. "Look."**

**Just visible on the other side of the bonfire was a man tied to a post. His head slumped like he was unconscious...**

**"Dad," she said.**

Aphrodite's bottom lip wobbled a bit, but she took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm.

**..."There's four of us," Hedge whispered urgently. "And only one of him."**

"He seems busy with whatever he's doing." Percy said. "Can't they just sneak in and free Piper's dad, without him noticing?"

"And what if he catches them? Enceladus has to know they'd show up eventually." Annabeth said, holding the ring on her necklace.

**"Did you miss the fact that he's thirty feet tall?" Leo asked.**

"Pretty hard to miss." Connor snorted.

**"Okay," Hedge said. "So you, me, and Jason distract him. Piper sneaks around and frees her dad."**

"Then what?" Thalia asks incredulously. "How are they going to escape? They don't have Festus, their taxi drove away, the only way they'd make it out is if they defeat Enceladus! And he's practically indestructible!"

" _Yeah_ , it's not the best plan." Leo admitted. "But it was our best bet in saving Piper's dad."

"You mean nobody came up with anything better?" The daughter of Zeus frowned. "This is going to end badly, I can just feel it."

"It's better than nothing..." Annabeth said, looking equally unhappy with the plan.

"At least it's not his first idea." Grover tried to helpfully supply.

**They all looked at Jason.**

**"What?" Jason asked. "I'm not the leader."**

"Sure you are, it's your quest." Hermes said as if the answer was obvious.

"He has to know how dangerous this plan is..." Thalia muttered. "There's no way this is going to work."

**"Yes," Piper said. "You are."**

**They'd never really talked about it, but no one disagreed, not even Hedge. Coming this far had been a team effort, but when it came to a life-and death decision, Leo knew Jason was the one to ask. Even if he had no memory, Jason had a kind of balance to him. You could just tell he'd been in** **battles before, and he knew how to keep his cool. Leo wasn't exactly the trusting type, but he trusted Jason with his life.**

"Still do." Leo made a point to mention. 

Thalia couldn't help but let a small grin escape at that.

**"I hate to say it," Jason sighed, "but Coach Hedge is right. A distraction is Piper's best chance."**

The grin was gone in an instant.

_He better have some sort of Plan B._ she thought, plucking her bowstring.

**Not a good chance, Leo thought. Not even a survivable chance. Just their _best_ chance.**

Thalia's frown deepened.

**They couldn't sit there all day and talk about it, though. It had to be close to noon—the giant's deadline—and the ground was still trying to pull them** **down. Leo's knees had already sunk two inches into the dirt.**

**Leo looked at the construction equipment and got a crazy idea.**

"Sure, why not, it can't get any worse." Thalia said.

**He brought out the little toy he'd made on the climb, and he realized what it could do — _if_ he was lucky, which he almost never was.**

**"Let's boogie," he said. "Before I come to my senses."**

"Finished." Percy said.

"I'll read next." Clarisse volunteered.

After taking the book, she sat back down.

" **Leo XLII** ," Clarisse read.


	43. Leo XLII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3\. Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" **Leo XLII** ," Clarisse read.

**The plan went wrong almost immediately.**

Thalia threw her hands up. "Why am I not surprised!"

"Has a plan ever went right on this quest?" Will wondered, briefly thinking back.

"Um..." Leo paused in mid-tinkering. He rested his chin in his hand as he mulled over the question. "What about that time we blew up Medea's mall? That went pretty well."

"Was that even a plan? Seemed more like a do-or-die to me." Nico commented.

"I'd count the time with the Cyclops," Travis said. 

The son of Hephaestus shrugged. "That wasn't really a plan, that was more of a spur of the moment."

"Kinda like how this one was made." the daughter of Zeus grumbled.

 **Piper scrambled along the ridge, trying to keep her head down, while Leo, Jason, and Coach Hedge walked** **straight into the clearing.**

"Oh my gods." Thalia groaned, brushing her hair back. "Are you guys seriously going to do this?"

"We have to distract him somehow." Leo pointed out, swinging his legs.

 **Jason summoned his golden lance...and yelled, "Giant!" Which sounded pretty good, and a lot more confident than Leo could've managed. He was thinking more along the lines of, "We are pathetic ants! Don't kill us!"** Clarisse snorted and rolled her eyes.

Ares looked similarly unimpressed. "Begging won't stop him from killing you. Just charge him and get this over with."

"That wouldn't stop him from killing them either." Athena said.

Ares shrugged. "But it'll distract him, wouldn't it?"

**Enceladus stopped chanting at the flames. He turned toward them and grinned, revealing fangs like a saber-toothed tiger's.**

Some of the demigods shuddered.

**...Coach Hedge shouted, "Let the movie star go, you big ugly cupcake! Or I'm gonna plant my hoof right up your—"**

**"Coach," Jason said. "Shut up."**

Despite the situation, the Stolls snickered.

 **Enceladus roared with laughter. "I've forgotten how funny satyrs are. When we rule the world, I think I'll keep your kind around. You can entertain me** **while I eat all the other mortals."**

Grover bleated angrily in protest.

Lacy paled. "How can he say that so casually?"

**...Enceladus opened his mouth wide, and his teeth began to glow.**

A few demigods exchanged confused looks.

**"Scatter!" Leo yelled.**

**Jason and Hedge dove to the left as the giant blew fire—a furnace blast so hot even Festus would've been jealous.**

"Oh yeah, I forgot he could do that..." Travis said in a small squeak. "Well, at least he's distracted."

"Haha," Connor weakly laughed before clearing his throat. "So, can all the giants do that, or is that his own thing?"

Percy grimaced and tried not to think about an army of fire-breathing giants.

 **Leo dodged behind the** **bulldozer, wound up his homemade device, and dropped it into the driver's seat. Then he ran to the right, heading for the tree harvester...** **he saw Jason rise and charge the giant. Coach Hedge ripped off his canary yellow jacket, which was now on fire,** The goddess of love cringed. **and** **bleated angrily. "I liked that outfit!" Then he raised his club and charged, too.**

"The outfits didn't even last two chapters and they're already ruined..." Aphrodite sighed miserably.

**Before they could get very far, Enceladus slammed his spear against the ground. The entire mountain shook.**

**The shockwave sent Leo sprawling. He blinked, momentarily stunned...he saw Jason staggering to his** **feet on the other side of the clearing. Coach Hedge was knocked out cold.**

"Great, now who's going to rescue him?" Connor said. "There's no way the giant's just gonna ignore him."

 **He'd fallen forward and hit his head on a log. His furry hindquarters were** **sticking straight up, with his canary yellow pants around his knees—a view Leo really didn't need.**

" _Ugh!_ Thanks for the mental image, kid." Hermes made a face.

"Sorry, I'll make sure to watch how I think in the next book." Leo said sarcastically, making a face as the memory resurfaced. _Just when I started to forget..._

**[Enceladus] "I see you, Piper McLean!" He turned and blew fire at a line of bushes to Leo's right. Piper ran into the clearing like a flushed quail, the underbrush burning behind her.**

Aphrodite gasped.

Drew rolled her eyes. "Wow, she didn't get very far, did she?"

"So much for the distraction." Thaila's shoulders slumped. "Now what?"

"They can still distract him." Annabeth said. "It'll be harder with Coach Hedge knocked out and Piper's position given away, but Leo and Jason can still distract him by fighting and Piper could get her dad."

"And Coach Hedge?" Percy reminded.

Her frown deepened. "I don't think they would have enough time to move him without causing a distraction... Let's just hope he wakes up soon."

"This is just getting better and better." Thalia said under her breath.

Leo played with the buttons on his jacket.

**Leo's gut twisted. This was the moment Piper had warned them about. They'd played right into Enceladus's hands.**

**...[Enceladus]** **"That's right, son of Hephaestus. I didn't expect you all to stay alive this long,**

"Thanks for having faith in us." Leo commented offhandedly.

**but it doesn't matter. By bringing you here, Piper McLean has sealed the deal. If she betrays you, I'm as good as my word. She can take her father and go. What do I care about a movie star?"**

"By having him, you could still have control over her." Annabeth said. "He's not actually going to let him go, this has to be a catch."

 **Leo could see Piper's dad more clearly now... He wasn't** **completely unconscious, because he lifted his head and groaned—yep, Tristan McLean all right. Leo had seen that face in enough movies. But he had a** **nasty cut down the side of his face, and he looked thin and sickly—not heroic at all.**

Aphrodite winced as Tristan's fan girls from Cabin Ten looked horrified to hear of his condition.

"I hope that doesn't scar." one of the fans muttered.

**"Dad!" Piper yelled.**

**Mr. McLean blinked, trying to focus. "Pipes ... ? Where ..."**

**Piper drew her dagger and faced Enceladus. "Let him go!"**

**"Of course, dear," the giant rumbled. "Swear your loyalty to me, and we have no problem. Only these others must die."**

"And there's the catch." Annabeth stated flatly.

**Piper looked back and forth between Leo and her dad.**

"She's not actually considering it, is she?" Percy grimaced. He couldn't blame her if she was, he wouldn't know what he would do if forced to make that decision.

"Of course not!" Lacy exclaimed, looking offended he even thought it. "Piper would never do that!"

"Are we forgetting she spent chapters debating on whether she should betray her friends or not?" Drew asked. She shook her head in mock disappointment. "Seriously, did you fall asleep during all that?"

Her sister bit her lip. 

"Well she wouldn't do that _now_." Lacy defended. Drew just rolled her eyes in response.

**"He'll kill you," Leo warned. "Don't trust him!"**

Annabeth nodded her head.

 **"Oh, come now," Enceladus bellowed. "You know I was born to fight Athena herself? Mother Gaea made each of us giants with a specific purpose,** **designed to fight and destroy a particular god. I was Athena's nemesis, the _anti-_ Athena, you might say. Compared to some of my brethren—I am small!**

"By how much exactly?" Connor asked. "A few inches? A couple feet?"

**But I am I keep my bargain with you, Piper McLean. It's part of my plan!"**

"Yeah right." Annabeth muttered. "If you really are the Anti-Athena, there's no way you'd plan that."

 **Jason was on his feet now, lance ready; but before he could act, Enceladus roared—a call so loud it echoed down the valley and was probably** **heard all the way to San Francisco.**

"He really needs to stop doing that..." Will murmured.

Leo brushed off the lint from his jacket.

 **At the edge the woods, half a dozen ogre-like creatures rose up. Leo realized with nauseating certainty that they hadn't simply been hiding there.** **They'd risen straight out of the earth.**

**The ogres shuffled forward. They were small compared to Enceladus, about seven feet tall.**

"That's the new 'small' now," Connor said in disbelief. " _Seven feet_ is considered 'small'."

 **Each one of them had six arms—one pair in the regular** **spot, then an extra pair sprouting out the top of their shoulders, and another set shooting from the sides of their rib cages.**

Katie frowned. "What are they?"

"Gegnees." Annabeth said in realization. "They're the things that appeared in Jason's dream. They're six-armed giants who fought the first Jason."

 **Leo decided if he survived this day,** **he'd have to take a three-hour shower just to forget the stench.**

Leo shuddered. "They made the Cyclops smell like a rose garden in comparison."

 **"Very good, my dear!" Enceladus sounded delighted. "They used to live on a miserable place in Greece called Bear Mountain. Mount Diablo is much** **nicer! They are lesser children of Mother Earth, but they serve their purpose. They're good with construction equipment—"**

 **"Vroom, vroom!" one of the Earthborn bellowed, and the others took up the chant, each moving his six hands as though driving a car, as if it were** **some kind of weird religious ritual. "Vroom, vroom!"**

"Uh... Guess that explains the construction equipment." Will said, looking weirded out.

**"Yes, thank you, boys," Encedalus said. "They also have a score to settle with heroes. Especially anyone named Jason."**

"Of course!" Thalia groaned. "First Medea, now six-armed giants that smell like a boy's lockers room! Are there any more monsters coming up that want to kill my brother over a name we didn't want in the first place?"

**"Yay-son!" the Earthborn screamed. They all picked up clumps of earth, which solidified in their hands, turning to nasty pointed stones. "Where Yay-son? Kill Yay-son!"**

Thaila rubbed her forehead and said to herself: "I knew we should've named him _'Theron'_."

" _Pppfffttt!_ Wait, _Theron_ was the second option?" Leo laughed.

She turned to him and narrowed her eyes. "What's wrong with Theron?"

He raised his hands in surrender. "Nothing, nothing! It's just... _really? Theron?_   How do you go from Jason to Theron? It's so random! He doesn't even look like a _Theron!"_

The daughter of Zeus fought back the embarrassment bubbling inside her.

"It sounds right if you said our names together," Thalia defended. "And I don't think you should be the one judging, _Leonidas._ "

Leo winced. "Point taken."

**Enceladus smiled. "You see, Piper, you have a choice. Save your father, or ah, try to save your friends and face certain death."**

**Piper stepped forward. Her eyes blazed with such rage, even the Earthborn backed away. She radiated power and beauty, but it had nothing to do** **with her clothes or her makeup.**

Aphrodite smiled proudly.

 **"You will not take the people I love," she said. "None of them."** **  
**

**Her words rippled across the clearing with such force, the Earthborn muttered, "Okay. Okay, sorry," and began to retreat.**

Lacy beamed.

"Cowards!" Ares laughed.

 _I bet I could've done that without breaking a sweat._ Drew thought, combing her fingers through her hair.

 **"Stand your ground, fools!" Enceladus bellowed. He snarled at Piper. "This is why we wanted you alive, my dear. You could have been so useful to us.** **But as you wish. Earth-born! I will show you Jason."**

"How's Jason going to fight all those giants at once?" Thalia asked worriedly.

"It's not Jason he's going to point them to." Athena said, understanding the giant's strategy.

 **...He pointed to the other side of the bonfire, where Tristan McLean hung helpless and half** **conscious.**

"No!" Aphrodite exclaimed.

**"There is Jason," Enceladus said with pleasure. "Tear him apart!"**

**Leo's biggest surprise: One look from Jason, and all three of them knew the game plan. When had that happened, that they could read each other so** **well?**

"Quests tend to do that to people." Percy said, sharing a smile with Annabeth.

 **Jason charged Enceladus, while Piper rushed to her father, and Leo dashed for the tree harvester, which stood between Mr. McLean and the** **Earthborn.**

"He's fighting the fire-breathing giant _alone?!"_ Thalia blanched.

"We had no choice! The six-armed guys-"

"Gegnees." Athena corrected.

"Gegnees were going to tear Piper's dad apart!" Leo finished.

"Please don't say it like that!" Aphrodite pleaded.

**The Earthborn were fast, but Leo ran like a storm spirit. He leaped toward the harvester from five feet away and slammed into the driver's seat...**

**"Ha!" Leo screamed, and swung the crane arm through the bonfire, toppling burning logs onto the Earthborn and spraying sparks everywhere. Two** **giants went down under a fiery avalanche and melted back into the earth—hopefully to stay for a while.**

"If Gaea doesn't decide to speed up the process." Annabeth said.

"She can do that?" Percy asked.

"Who knows what she can really do." she replied.

 **The other four ogres stumbled across burning logs and hot coals while Leo brought the harvester around. He smashed a button, and on the end of** **the crane arm the wicked rotating blades began to whir.**

 **Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Piper at the stake, cutting her father free. On the other side of the clearing, Jason fought the giant,** **somehow managing to dodge his massive spear and blasts of fire breath.**

"So far so good." Thalia muttered.

 **Coach Hedge was still heroically passed out with his goat tail sticking up in** **the air.**

"A fighting technique that would've made even the mightiest of Greek monsters tremble in fear." Travis snickered.

"Seriously? Did they just forget he was there?" Connor laughed.

"I'm surprised they didn't attack him yet." Nico commented.

**The whole side of the mountain would soon be ablaze. The fire wouldn't bother Leo, but if his friends got trapped up here—No. He had to act quickly.**

**One of the Earthborn—apparently not the most intelligent one—charged the tree harvester, and Leo swung the crane arm in his direction. As soon** **as the blades touched the ogre, he dissolved like wet clay and splattered all over the clearing. Most of him flew into Leo's face.**

" _Eww!_ " Aphrodite made a look of disgust along with a few others.

"Tasted about as well as you'd think." Leo grimaced.

**..."Bad vroom-vroom!" one yelled.**

"At least they're scared of it." Will said.

"That means they're scared?" Nico asked.

**"Yeah, that's right!" Leo yelled at them. "You want some bad vroom-vroom? Come on!"**

**Unfortunately, they did.**

"Guess not." Will frowned.

 **Three ogres with six arms, each throwing large, hard rocks at super speed—and Leo knew it was over. Somehow, he** **launched himself in a backward somersault off the harvester half a second before a boulder demolished the driver's seat. Rocks slammed into metal. By** **the time Leo stumbled to his feet, the harvester looked like a crushed soda can, sinking in the mud.**

 _Harvey didn't stand a chance._ Leo thought sympathetically.

**"Dozer!" Leo yelled.**

The readers looked at the son of Hephaestus as if he grew a second head.

"...You named it Dozer?" Katie said, sounding more confused than anything.

"Not the harvester. The bulldozer." Leo said as if that explained everything. Still getting odd looks from his equally crazy relatives, he shrugged. "Some people name cars, I name construction equipment."

Leo digged through his tool belt.

 **...Thirty feet away, the bulldozer roared to life. Leo's makeshift gadget had done its job, burrowing into the earthmover's controls and giving it a** **temporary life of its own. It roared toward the enemy.**

The god of fire looked impressed.

 **Just as Piper cut her father free and caught him in her arms, the giants launched their second volley of stones. The dozer swiveled in the mud,** **skidding to intercept, and most of the rocks slammed into its shovel. The force was so great it pushed the dozer back. Two rocks ricocheted and struck** **their throwers. Two more Earthborn melted into clay. Unfortunately, one rock hit the dozer's engine, sending up a cloud of oily smoke, and the dozer** **groaned to a great toy broken.**

 _Poor Dozer..._ Leo sighed, pulling out some rubber bands.

He shot a few on the ground.

**Piper dragged her father below the ridge. The last Earthborn charged after her.**

**Leo was out of tricks, but he couldn't let that monster get to Piper. He ran forward, straight through the flames, and grabbed something —anything—from his tool belt.**

**"Hey, stupid!" he yelled, and threw a screwdriver at the Earthborn.**

The Stolls and Hermes cringed.

Travis sucked air through his teeth. "Yikes!"

"Not your best work." Hermes said.

"Anything would've been better than that, I would've even accepted 'Dirt Bag'." Connor said.

"Gimme a break, I didn't exactly have a lot of time to come up with anything better." Leo said, stretching a rubber band as far as it could go.

**It didn't kill the ogre, but it sure got his attention. The screwdriver sank hilt-deep into the Earthborn's forehead like he was made of Play-Doh.**

"The insult was terrible, but at least you got nice aim!" Apollo chuckled.

 **The Earthborn yelped in pain and skittered to a halt. He pulled out the screwdriver, turned and glared at Leo. Sadly, this last ogre looked like the** **biggest and nastiest of the bunch. Gaea had really gone all out creating him—with extra muscle upgrades, deluxe ugly face, the whole package.**

"And of course, he'd be the one the boy picks to fight." Hephaestus grumbles.

"Out of all the monsters..." Jake trailed off.

**Oh, great, Leo thought. I've made a friend.**

**"You die!" the Earthborn roared. "Friend of Yay-son dies!"** **  
**

**The ogre scooped up handfuls of dirt, which immediately hardened into rock cannonballs.**

**Leo's mind went blank. He reached into his tool belt, but he couldn't think of anything that would help. He was supposed to be clever—but he couldn't** **craft or build or tinker his way out of this one.**

**Fine, he thought. I'll go out blaze-of-glory style.**

**He burst into flames, yelled, "Hephaestus!" and charged at the ogre barehanded.**

The readers tensed. 

"Can you actually do that?" Katie said. "No offense, but you don't exactly look like the type of person who does well in hand-to-hand combat."

Leo huffed, pretending to be offended anyway. "I can handle myself just fine."

**He never got there.**

Hephaestus stiffened, his clenched fist slowly losing color.

"Relax, I'm still here. Everything turned out fine." Leo told him, tying the rubber band into a knot.

 **A blur of turquoise and black flashed behind the ogre. A gleaming bronze blade sliced up one side of the Earthborn and down the other.** **Six large arms dropped to the ground, boulders rolling out of their useless hands. The Earthborn looked down, very surprised. He mumbled, "Arms** **go bye-bye."**

**Then he melted into the ground.**

**Piper stood there, breathing hard, her dagger covered with clay.** **Her dad sat at the ridge, dazed and wounded, but still alive.**

Aphrodite relaxed a bit, hearing that.

**Piper's expression was ferocious—almost crazy, like a cornered animal.**

Drew paused in the middle of combing her hair, looking slightly disturbed of the mental image in her head.

"Uh... Is she okay?" Travis asked.

"She's fine." Leo assured. "She's just... overwhelmed with emotions... I guess?"

**Leo was glad she was on his side.**

**"Nobody hurts my friends," she said, and with a sudden warm feeling, Leo realized she was talking about him.**

"Who else would she be talking about?" Katie told him, smiling as she playfully rolled her eyes.

**Then she yelled, "Come on!"**

**Leo saw that the battle wasn't over. Jason was still fighting the giant Enceladus—and it wasn't going well.**

"Figures." Thalia grimaced. She turned to Leo. "On a scale of one through ten, one being a little bit of trouble and ten being up Shit's Creek, how bad is it?"

The son of Hephaestus hesitated. "Um..."

"Twenty it is." Thalia tried to calm down her racing heart. "Did I mention how much I hate this plan?"

"Only 900 times." Clarisse said dryly. "I finished the chapter."

"I'll read next." Artemis immediately said. Thalia shot her a grateful look and the goddess smiled back in return.

After being handed the book, she began to read.

" **Jason XLIII**."


	44. Jason XLIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3.Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" **Jason XLIII** ," Artemis read.

**When Jason's lance broke, he knew he was dead.**

"You're kidding me right?" Thalia said in disbelief.

"Didn't Medea say something bad would happen if an Imperial Gold weapon was broken?" Percy remembered.

Annabeth glared at him as Thalia visibly paled.

"Hey, he'll be fine." the daughter of Athena soothed, rubbing the other girl's back. "Leo and Piper are going to help him."

"Right." she said, letting out a shaky sigh. 

**The battle had started well enough. Jason's instincts kicked in, and his gut told him he'd dueled opponents almost this big before.**

"He's fought something as big as Enceladus? Wonder what that could've been." Travis said.

"Could've been the sea monster." Connor suggested. "Or Krios."

**Size and strength equaled slowness, so Jason just had to be quicker—pace himself,** **wear out his opponent, and avoid getting smashed or flame-broiled.**

"That's the first good idea I've heard in a while." Thalia muttered.

**He rolled away from the giant's first spear thrust and jabbed Enceladus in the ankle. Jason's javelin managed to pierce the thick dragon hide, and** **golden ichor—the blood of immortals—trickled down the giant's clawed foot. Enceladus bellowed in pain**

"Wimp." Ares rolled his eyes. "I bet that barely even hurt."

**and blasted him with fire. Jason scrambled away, rolling behind the giant, and struck again behind his knee.**

**It went on like that for seconds, minutes—it was hard to judge. Jason heard combat across the clearing—...** **He heard Leo and Piper yelling defiantly, which meant they were still alive. Jason tried not to** **think about it. He couldn't afford to get distracted.**

**Enceladus's spear missed him by a millimeter.**

"Oh my gods." Thalia stiffened, if possible she gripped her bow tighter.  "Now would be a good time for that rescue time to show up."

"Kinda busy with the whole 'save Mr. McLean' thing." Leo said, waving his arm.

"They'll be there soon." Annabeth comforted as if the son of Hephaestus hadn't spoken. 

**Jason kept dodging, but the ground stuck to his feet. Gaea was getting stronger, and the giant was** **getting faster.**

"This is just getting better and better." Thalia grumbled. "Why couldn't she be taking a nap during all this?"

"Because then it'd be too easy." Nico stated.

"But there is a way he can work past this." Percy said. "This is just like that time I fought with Antaeus in the Labyrinth. Maybe if Jason uses his wind powers to lift him off the ground, he can have some sort of advantage."

"I think that Enceladus is too heavy for Jason." his girlfriend informed him. She grimaced. "Besides he can't kill him without the help of a god remember?"

Percy grimaced as well. "Oh right."

**Enceladus might be slow, but he wasn't dumb. He began anticipating Jason's moves, and Jason's attacks were only annoying him,** **making him more enraged.**

**"I'm not some minor monster," Enceladus bellowed. "I am a giant, born to destroy gods! Your little gold toothpick can't kill me, boy."**

"As If  we didn't know that already." Percy commented.

"Can't you guys do something?" Will asked the gods. "At least throw a thunderbolt or something."

The gods hesitated before glancing at Zeus. The ruler of the sky remained stone faced.

**...Jason raised his javelin to block the giant's next strike—a big mistake.** Thalia winced. **_Don't fight force with force,_ a voice chided him—the wolf Lupa, who'd told him that long ago. **

"Would've been a good to remember that earlier, Jay." the daughter of Zeus said. 

**He managed to deflect the spear, but it grazed his shoulder, and his arm went numb.**

Thalia worriedly frowned as she asked Apollo. "Is that normal? Should his arm be numb like that?"

Apollo blinked. "Well... no. I think it's probably because his spear is coated in something that caused Jason's arm to be numb. Hopefully it's not permanent."

"Hopefully?" she echoed shrilly.

Artemis glared at her brother before turning her attention to Thalia. 

"I'm sure he'll be fine," she assured the hunter.

**...** **He retreated, trying to lure the giant to the edge of the clearing. Enceladus could sense his weariness. The giant smiled, baring his fangs.**

**"The mighty Jason Grace," he taunted. "Yes, we know about you, son of Jupiter. The one who led the assault on Mount Othrys. The one who single-handedly slew the Titan Krios and toppled the black throne."**

**Jason's mind reeled. He didn't know these names, yet they made his skin tingle, as if his body remembered the pain his mind didn't.**

**"What are you talking about?" he asked. He realized his mistake when Enceladus breathed fire.**

**Distracted, Jason moved too slowly. The blast missed him, but heat blistered his back.**

A few of the readers winced. 

**He slammed into the ground, his clothes smoldering. He was** **blinded from ash and smoke, choking as he tried to breathe.**

Thalia squeezed her eyes shut and tightened the grip on her bow. _Com'on Leo, where are you guys?_

**He scrambled back as the giant's spear cleaved the ground between his feet.**

**Jason managed to stand.**

**If he could only summon one good blast of lightning—but he was already drained, and in this condition, the effort might kill him. He didn't even know** **if electricity would harm the giant.**

**_Death in battle is honorable,_ said Lupa's voice.**

"Shut up, Lupa." Thalia snapped. _Where was your  friendly words of advice when he needed it._

"Thanks for the words of wisdom." Chris said sarcastically.

"She and Chiron would be great at parties." Travis said.

**That's real comforting, Jason thought.**

**One last try: Jason took a deep breath and charged.**

**Enceladus let him approach, grinning with anticipation. At the last second, Jason faked a strike and rolled between the giant's legs. He came up** **quickly, thrusting with all his might, ready to stab the giant in the small of his back, but Enceladus anticipated the trick. He stepped aside with too much** **speed and agility for a giant, as if the earth were helping him move.**

"Really, as if she wasn't helping him enough!" Thalia complained.

**He swept his spear sideways, met Jason's javelin—and with a snap like a shotgun blast, the golden weapon shattered.**

The readers tensed.

**The explosion was hotter than the giant's breath, blinding Jason with golden light. The force knocked him off his feet and squeezed the breath out of** **him.**

The demigods stared at the book in disbelief.

"What kind of weapon is that?" Connor exclaimed.

"Do all Roman weapons do that? Isn't that sorta counterintuitive?" Jake asked, scratching his head.

"What's the point in having a weapon like that, if it could explode when you break it?" Clarisse said.

**When he regained his focus, he was sitting at the rim of a crater. Enceladus stood at the other side, staggering and confused...** **Jason wasn't sure how he'd survived, but his clothes were steaming. He was out of energy... and Enceladus was still very much alive.**

"This can't be happening." Thalia muttered to herself, gripping her bow tighter. 

"Please tell me you're going to help him." Annabeth pleaded to Leo.

"We're coming." he told her, bouncing his rubber band ball.

**Jason tried to get up, but his legs were like lead. Enceladus blinked at the destruction, then laughed. "Impressive! Unfortunately, that was your last** **trick, demigod."**

**Enceladus leaped the crater in a single bound, planting his feet on either side of Jason. The giant raised his spear, its tip hovering six feet over** **Jason's chest.**

**"And now," Enceladus said, "my first sacrifice to Gaea!"**

Thalia paled. Her fellow hunters eyed the girl with concern.

"I'm finished." Artemis said, giving the daughter of Zeus another worried glance. "Does anybody want to read next?"

"I'll do it." Naomi said, hastily taking the book.

She immediately started to read the next chapter.

" **Jason XLIV** ,"


	45. Jason XLIV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3.Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" **Jason XLIV** ," Naomi read.

**Time seemed to slow down, which was really frustrating, since Jason still couldn't move.**

"Can we just skip to the part where Piper and Leo rescue him?" Thalia pleaded to no one in particular.

Celin patted her shoulder. "Hang in there."

**He felt himself sinking into the earth like the ground was a** **waterbed—comfortable, urging him to relax and give up.**

_Don't you dare Jason Grace!_ Thalia sternly thought.

**He wondered if the stories of the Underworld were true.**

"Are we really thinking about this right now?" the daughter of Zeus groaned in frustration. "Squirm around! Kick and scream! I don't care! Do something! Don't just give up and start making plans about the Underworld!"

**Would he end up in the Fields of Punishment or Elysium?** **If he couldn't remember any of his deeds, would they still count?**

"In most cases, yes." Hades said.

"I doubt he did anything too serious to earn the Fields of Punishment." Nico commented. "Jason's a pretty decent guy."

"Who cares about that? Jason's not going to die!" Thalia firmly told them.

**He wondered if the judges would take that into consideration,** **or if his dad, Zeus, would write him a note: "Please excuse Jason from eternal damnation. He has had amnesia."**

Hades snorted. "As if that'd stop me."

"Jay, can you _please_ think of something else? Maybe like an escape plan? Or shock him with some lightning?" Thalia suggested.

"He really seems to have given up." Percy frowned.

**Jason couldn't feel his arms. He could see the tip of the spear coming toward his chest in slow motion.**

_Great now he's watching a spear slowly impale him... DO SOMETHING!!_  

The demigods around her suddenly jumped.

Thalia felt her face heat up in embarrassment.

"Sorry." she muttered in a lower voice.

**He knew he should move, but he couldn't** **seem to do it. Funny, he that effort to stay alive, and then, _boom._ You just lie there helplessly while a fire-breathing giant impales you.**

_Is it really that funny? Jason... I swear I'm gonna..._ Eye twitching, she turned to Leo.

"When are you two supposed to show up?" she asked him. _I don't think I can handle any more of this crap._

"Hard to say with the slow motion movie-thing going on," he replied, tossing the ball from hand to hand. "It didn't even take this long to save him. It literally could've been finished in the last chapter, if it weren't for that stupid cliff hanger."

He bounced the ball on the ground.

**Leo's voice yelled, "Heads up!"**

**A large black metal wedge slammed into Enceladus with a massive _thunk!_ The giant toppled over and slid into the pit.**

"There we go!" Leo grinned. 

The daughter of Zeus heaved a sigh of relief and breathed a 'thanks.' 

"Told ya' we'd save him. You really need to trust us more," the teen told her. "Immortal or not, that stress can't be good for your health."

"You're telling me." Hephaestus said gruffly.

"You'll be fine." Leo told him dismissively.

**"Jason, get up!" Piper called. Her voice energized him, shook him out of his stupor. He sat up, his head groggy, while Piper grabbed him under his** **arms and hauled him to his feet.**

**"Don't die on me," she ordered. "You are not dying on me."**

"I swear if he dies, I'm going to bring him back to life and kill him myself." Thalia swore, feeling angry now that the whole ordeal was over. "What was he even thinking? Just laying there and thinking about the afterlife? We literally just met and here he goes waiting patiently for himself to get impaled. He's lucky I wasn't there to see that, I would've-"

"Let's just be happy Piper and Leo were there to help him." Percy cut in.

**"Yes, ma'am." He felt light-headed, but she was about the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Her hair was smoldering. Her face was smudged with** **soot. She had a cut on her arm, her dress was torn, and she was missing a boot. Beautiful.**

The goddess of love and some of her daughters giggled while Drew rolled her eyes.

**...Jason looked down in the crater and saw where the other end of the hydraulic ax had gone. Enceladus was struggling to rise, an ax blade the** **size of a washing machine stuck in his breastplate.**

Travis whooped with excitement.

"Nice shot, man!" Connor told him.

**Amazingly, the giant managed to pull the ax blade free. He yelled in pain and the mountain trembled. Golden ichor soaked the front of his armor, but** **Enceladus stood.**

"He's standing, but at least he's injured." Connor smirked. "'Bout time he got really hurt."

**Shakily, he bent down and retrieved his spear.**

**"Good try." The giant winced. "But I cannot be beaten."**

**As they watched, the giant's armor mended itself, and the ichor stopped flowing. Even the cuts on his dragon-scale legs, which Jason had worked s** **o hard to make, were now just pale scars.**

The demigods stared dumbfounded.

"Wait... Wha...?" Connor stammered.

"Oh yeah, Antaeus had that ability too." Percy recalled. "I think that's a child of Gaea thing." He grimaced as he said that last part.

" _Oh com'on!"_ Travis exclaimed. "Now what?!"

**Leo ran up to them, saw the giant, and cursed. "What is it with this guy? Die, already!"**

"No kidding, these guys don't know when to give up." Will muttered.

**"My fate is preordained," Enceladus said. "Giants cannot be killed by gods or heroes."**

**"Only by both," Jason said. The giant's smile faltered, and Jason saw in his eyes something like fear...**

**..."Anyone have a god handy?" Leo asked.**

"Sorry, I went past my limit of godly interventions last week." Nico said sarcastically.

Thalia glared at her father, silently demanding he help Jason.

**Jason's heart filled with dread. He looked at the giant below them, struggling to get out of the pit, and he knew what had to happen.**

"Just try talking to him once. I'm sure something will happen then..." Thalia said, giving Zeus a meaningful look.

**"Leo," he said, "if you've got a rope in that tool belt, get it ready."**

Annabeth raised an eyebrow at this. The other readers exchanged confused looks.

"A rope?" Thalia asked, thrown for a loop. "What's he going to do with that?"

**He leaped at the giant with no weapon but his bare hands.**

"WHAT?!" the demigods chorused.

"Is he _crazy?!"_ Thalia hissed. "Did he just completely forget about the last life-or-death situation or is he that eager to go to the Underworld?!"

"What is he doing?" Annabeth said, voice filled with disbelief.

**"Enceladus!" Piper yelled. "Look behind you!"**

**It was an obvious trick, but her voice was so compelling, even Jason bought it. The giant said, "What?" and turned like there was an enormous** **spider on his back.**

Apollo, Hermes, and his sons burst out laughing.

"Are you sure this guy was made to fight _Athena?_ " Connor said in between laughter.

**Jason tackled his legs at just the right moment. The giant lost his balance. Enceladus slammed into the crater and slid to the bottom. While he tried** **to rise, Jason put his arms around the giant's neck. When Enceladus struggled to his feet, Jason was riding his shoulders.**

**"Get off!" Enceladus screamed. He tried to grab Jason's legs, but Jason scrabbled around, squirming and climbing over the giant's hair.**

**_Father,_ Jason thought. _If I've ever done anything good, anything you approved of, help me now. I offer my own life—just save my friends._**

His sister winced. _Hope that loyalty isn't as bad as Percy's._

**Suddenly he could smell the metallic scent of a storm. Darkness swallowed the sun. The giant froze, sensing it too.**

**Jason yelled to his friends, "Hit the deck!"**

_**...Crack!** _

**Lightning surged through Jason's body, straight through Enceladus, and into the ground.**

"Father!" Thalia gasped.

"What? I gave him my help! It's not like the lightning's going to kill him." Zeus defended.

**The giant's back stiffened, and Jason was thrown clear...the crater was cracking open. The lightning bolt had split the mountain** **itself. The earth rumbled and tore apart, and Enceladus's legs slid into the chasm. He clawed helplessly at the glassy sides of the pit, and just for a** **moment managed to hold on to the edge, his hands trembling.**

"Finally!" Thalia exclaimed. 

"It only took two or three near death experiences," Leo grinned. "No biggie!"

**He fixed Jason with a look of hatred. "You've won nothing, boy. My brothers are rising, and they are ten times as strong as I. We will destroy the gods** **at their roots!**

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. We'll destroy the world and overthrow the gods _blah blah blah._ We've heard it all before. Just fall in the chasm." Thalia said, trying not to look phased by the words.

The gods' eyes widened in horror and fear.

"At their roots?" Annabeth murmured thoughtfully.

**You will die, and Olympus will die with—"**

**The giant lost his grip and fell into the crevice.**

**The earth shook. Jason fell toward the rift.**

"Really?!" Thalia complained.

"We got him!" Leo cheerfully said.

**"Grab hold!" Leo yelled.**

**Jason's feet were at the edge of the chasm when he grabbed the rope, and Leo and Piper pulled him up.**

**They stood together, exhausted and terrified, as the chasm closed like an angry mouth. The ground stopped pulling at their feet.**

**For now, Gaea was gone.**

"Only for now..." Percy said.

"Why can't she just be gone for good?" Katie sighed.

"Because then life would be too easy." Apollo offered.

**...Smoke billowed hundreds of feet into the air. Jason spotted a helicopter—maybe firefighters or reporters—coming** **toward them.**

"You should go," Percy warned Leo. "Last thing you'd want is for them to think your terrorists."

Leo made a face. "You really think that's the first thing they'd go with."

"You'd be surprised what the Mist will make people think." Annabeth said. 

**All around them was carnage. The Earthborn had melted into piles of clay, leaving behind only their rock missiles and some nasty bits of loincloth, but Jason figured they would re-form soon enough. Construction equipment lay in ruins. The ground was scarred and blackened.**

**Coach Hedge started to move. He sat up with a groan and rubbed his head.**

"Hey! Coach Hedge is still okay!" Connor happily exclaimed. "For a moment there, I forgot he was still in this chapter."

**His canary yellow pants were now the color of Dijon mustard mixed with** **mud.**

"Those stains are never coming out." Aphrodite sighed. _At least Tristan, Piper, and her friends are okay._

**He blinked and looked around him at the battle scene. "Did I do this?"**

"Of course! Don't you remember?" Travis snickered.

"You had Enceladus on his hands and knees begging for mercy!" Connor added, unable to keep a straight face as he said this.

**Before Jason could reply, Hedge picked up his club and got shakily to his feet. "Yeah, you wanted some hoof? I gave you some hoof, cupcakes!** **Who's the goat, huh?"**

Clarisse smiled and rolled her eyes.

**He did a little dance, kicking rocks and making what were probably rude satyr gestures at the piles of clay.**

From behind his magazine, Mr. D grinned.

Grover could only imagine the type of various insults the older satyr decided to use.

**Leo cracked a smile, and Jason couldn't help it—he started to laugh. It probably sounded a little hysterical, but it was such a relief to be alive, he** **didn't care.**

"I was kinda worried that he hit his head again." Leo admitted, kicking the ball around the floor.

"That's understandable, considering he threw himself at Enceladus without a weapon or a real plan." Thalia said, still looking annoyed at that. 

**...Tristan McLean staggered forward. His eyes were hollow, shell-shocked, like someone who'd just walked through a nuclear wasteland.**

Aphrodite stiffened. _Tristan..._

**"Piper?" he called. His voice cracked. "Pipes, what—what is—"** **  
**

**He couldn't complete the thought. Piper ran over to him and hugged him tightly, but he almost didn't seem to know her.**

_Looks like I spoke too some earlier._ the goddess of love grimaced. She only hoped Piper would listen to her advice and give him the potion.

**Jason had felt a similar way—that morning at the Grand Canyon, when he woke with no memory. But Mr. McLean had the opposite problem. He had** **too many memories, too much trauma his mind just couldn't handle. He was coming apart.**

**"We need to get him out of here," Jason said.**

**"Yeah, but how?" Leo said. "He's in no shape to walk."** **  
**

**Jason glanced up at the helicopter, which was now circling directly overhead. "Can you make us a bullhorn or something?" he asked Leo. "Piper has** **some talking to do."**

"That could work." Annabeth nodded her head in approval.

"That's the end of the chapter." Naomi said, handing the book to Celin.

Celin scowled but didn't protest as she started to read the next chapter.

" **Piper XLV** ," Celin read.


	46. Piper XLV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3.Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" **Piper XLV** ," Celin read.

**Borrowing the helicopter was easy. Getting her dad on board was not.**

Aphrodite frowned worriedly.

**Piper needed only a few words through Leo's improvised bullhorn to convince the pilot to land on the mountain... w** **hen Piper told the very nice ranger pilot lady that it would be a great idea to fly them to the** **Oakland Airport, she readily agreed.**

**"No," her dad muttered, as they picked him up off the ground. "Piper, what—there were monsters—there were monsters—"**

The goddess of love bit her bottom lip.

The others shifted uncomfortably.

**She needed both Leo's and Jason's help to hold him, while Coach Hedge gathered their supplies. Fortunately Hedge had put his pants and shoes back on, so Piper didn't have to explain the g** **oat legs.**

_Good, Tristan probably would've gotten a heart attack the moment he saw that._ Aphrodite thought sadly.

**It broke Piper's heart to see her dad like this—pushed beyond the breaking point, crying like a little boy.**

Aphrodite winced.

McLean fans looked devastated to hear the news.

"I didn't realize how bad some people would react to Greek gods." Percy said, feeling a pang of sympathy towards Piper. He couldn't imagine what his life would've been like to be a demigod without his mother ever knowing, much less reacting the way Tristan is when she finds out. _Maybe it's a good idea to give him the potion. I mean, can he really recover to something like this?_

"Some people can't handle learning the truth." the goddess of love sniffled. 

**She didn't know what the giant had done to** **him exactly, how the monsters had shattered his spirit, but she didn't think she could stand to find out.**

"Some things are better off unknown." Hestia agreed sadly.

**"It'll be okay, Dad," she said, making her voice as soothing as possible. She didn't want to charmspeak her own father, but it seemed the only way.**

**"These people are my friends. We're going to help you. You're safe now."**

**He blinked, and looked up at helicopter rotors. "Blades. They had a machine with so many blades. They had six arms ..."**

"You're going to be alright, Tristan. Things are going to get better soon." the goddess muttered, holding back a sob.

**...[Pilot] "What's wrong with him?" she asked.**

**"Smoke inhalation," Jason suggested. "Or heat exhaustion."**

**"We should get him to a hospital," the pilot said.**

**"It's okay," Piper said. "The airport is good."**

"But then what?" Mitchell frowned. "They can't exactly leave him like that at the airport. Would he even be lucid enough to go home? What if the media catches him like this? They'd have a field day."

"Let's focus on one thing at a time, sweetie." the goddess of love said. Her trembling fingers smoothed out the wrinkles on her dress.

**"Yeah, the airport is good," the pilot agreed immediately. Then she frowned, as if uncertain why she'd changed her mind. "Isn't he Tristan McLean,** **the movie star?"**

"Nah, people say he looks like him though. Personally I don't see it." Connor lied easily.

 "You wouldn't believe how many times people called him 'Tristan'," Travis added. "His real name is Earl."

"Wow." Leo blinked. "How do you just lie like that without even thinking about?"

"You'll get better the more you practice. The trick is to keep your lie simple and believable." Travis said in his best teacher voice. "Notice how Connor said that a lot of people mistake him for Tristan, instead of something more complicated like he's his stunt double. Then I took it one step further by giving Tristan an easy-to-remember fake name and going along with his lie. This makes people ask less questions or even second guess themselves. Keep this in mind when-"

"Is now really a good time to be talking about this." Katie butted in. "And are you honestly giving him tips on how to be a better liar?"

Connor shrugged. "We said we'd teach him. Now's a good time as any."

"We'll finish this conversation later." Travis whispered to the son of Hephaestus.

**"No," Piper said. "He only looks like him. Forget it."**

"See?" Travis said, nodding to the book. "Piper gets it."

**"Yeah," the pilot said. "Only looks like him. I—" She blinked, confused. "I forgot what I was saying. Let's get going."**

"Even if she wasn't being charmspoken, it still would've worked." Connor told Leo. 

**Jason raised his eyebrows at Piper, obviously impressed,** **but Piper felt miserable. She didn't want to twist people's minds, convince them of things** **they didn't believe. It felt so bossy, so wrong—like something Drew would do back at camp,**

_She acts as if that's a bad thing._ Drew huffed.

The Stolls made faces.

"Don't think of it as 'twisting people's minds'..." Connor said. "It's more like..."

"Convincing." Hermes finished.

"Right! Convincing!" his son said in agreement. "Imagine what would've happened if the pilot insisted on taking Tristan to the hospital or radioing more people for help. What would you have done then?"

"Actually, let's not think about that." Aphrodite grimaced as worst case scenarios flashed in her head.

**or Medea in her evil department store. And how would it help** **her father? She couldn't convince him he would be okay, or that nothing had happened. His trauma was just too deep.**

_Use the potion, Piper. It's the only way..._ Aphrodite silently pleaded.

**Finally they got him on board and the helicopter took off. The pilot kept getting questions over her radio, asking her where she was going, but she ignored them.**

"So far so good." Percy said. _Hopefully she doesn't snap out of it in the middle of flying._

**They veered away from the burning mountain and headed toward the Berkeley Hills.**

**"Piper." [Tristan]… "It's you? They told me—they told me you would die. They said ... horrible** **things would happen."**

Aphrodite furiously blinked back tears.

" _Gods..._ " Percy muttered under his breath.

**"It's me, Dad." It took all her willpower not to cry. She had to be strong for him. "Everything's going to be okay."**

**"They were monsters," he said. "Real monsters. Earth spirits, right out of Grandpa Tom's stories—and the Earth Mother was angry with me. And the g** **iant, Tsul'kälû, breathing fire—" He focused on Piper again, his eyes like broken glass, reflecting a crazy kind of light.**

Hurriedly wiping away a stray tear, Aphrodite forced herself to listen on as she leaned into Ares' one armed hug.

**"They said you were a demigod.**

**Your mother was …"**

**"Aphrodite," Piper said. "Goddess of love."**

Said goddess winced.

**"I—I—" He took a shaky breath, then seemed to forget how to exhale.**

**Piper's friends were careful not to watch. Leo fiddled with a lug nut from his tool belt. Jason gazed at the valley below—the roads backing up as** **mortals stopped their cars and gawked at the burning mountain. Gleeson chewed on the stub of his carnation,**

The goddess of love didn't even complain about Coach Hedge eating the rest of his carnation, she was too busy holding back tears.

**…Tristan McLean wasn't supposed to be seen like this. He was a star. He was confident, stylish, suave—always in control...** **Piper had seen the image falter before. But this was different. Now it was broken, gone.** **** ~~~~

Aphrodite wiped away a stray tear.

**… [Tristan] "You're heroes—you and your friends. I can't believe it. You're a real hero, not like me. Not playing a part. I'm so** **proud of you, Pipes." But the words were muttered listlessly, in a semi-trance.**

**He gazed down on the valley, and his grip on Piper's hand went slack. "Your mother never told me."**

**"She thought it was for the best." It sounded lame, even to Piper, and no amount of charmspeak could change that. But she didn't tell her dad what** **Aphrodite had really worried about: _If he has to spend the rest of his life with those memories, knowing that gods and spirits walk the earth, it will_** _**shatter him.** _

_And I was right._ the goddess sniffed.

**Piper felt inside the pocket of her jacket. The vial was still there, warm to her touch.**

**But how could she erase his memories? Her dad finally knew who she was. He was proud of her, and for once she was his hero, not the other way** **around. He would never send her away now. They shared a secret.**

"But if she doesn't erase his memories, he would be a shadow of his former self." Hestia muttered, pitying the poor man.

**She held his hand, speaking to him about small things—her time at the Wilderness School, her cabin at Camp Half-Blood. She told him how Coach** **Hedge ate carnations and got knocked on his butt on Mount Diablo...**

"You should've seen Coach Hedge's reaction when she said that!" Leo said with a small laugh. He tossed the ball in the air and caught it.  

The some of the readers smiled at that.

**As they passed over the hills into the East Bay, Jason tensed.**

**He leaned so far out the doorway Piper was afraid he'd fall.**

The demigods froze.

"What's he looking at?" Chris muttered to himself.

Having a feeling what he was (unknowingly) looking for, Annabeth leaned forward.

**He pointed. "What is that?"**

**Piper looked down, but she didn't see anything interesting—just hills, woods, houses, little roads snaking through the canyons. A highway cut through** **a tunnel in the hills, connecting the East Bay with the inland towns.**

The daughter of Athena paid close attention to the details Celin listed off.

"Somewhere around there has to be the Roman Camp. Why else would Jason react like that?" Annabeth said, more to herself than anyone else. The other demigods' eyes widened. Some of them began to rack their brains for any descriptions that stood out. 

"Nothing about that paragraph really screamed 'Roman Camp' to me..." Jake said. "But that could be because of the Mist. Maybe they're on top of one of those hills."

"Or in the woods." Connor said. "That'd be where I'd put a secret camp of wolves and Roman demigods."

**"Where?" Piper asked.**

**"That road," he said. "The one that goes through the hills."**

_The camp is right there._ Annabeth suddenly felt an adrenaline rush run through her. She fidgeted in her seat. She wanted to run to California and find this road through the hills herself and prove that her theory is correct. _Percy is literally right there, with no clue who he is, and they're about to fly right over him._

She never felt more frustrated and excited at the same time. _We know where he is!_

_I just need a name..._ she thought.

**Piper picked up the com helmet the pilot had given her and relayed the question over the radio. The answer wasn't very exciting.**

**"She says it's Highway 24," Piper reported. "That's the Caldecott Tunnel. Why?"**

Annabeth turned to Leo.

"That's where the Roman Camp is, right?" If Leo said no, Annabeth wasn't sure what she would do.

Unraveling his rubber band ball,  the son of Hephaestus nodded. "Yup."

"Is there a chance you guys decide to land there and pick me up?" Percy tried to joke, but his smile looked strained and his eyes were full with a sudden desperation.

Leo looked up and winced. "If we knew..."

"I know." Percy sighed, heavier than he intended. He gave Annabeth another forced grin. "But hey, at least we know where I am."

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. 

"The moment you leave, I'm heading straight for Caldecott Tunnel to get you back." she said seriously.

His smile became more softer. "Thanks."

**Jason stared intently at the tunnel entrance, but he said nothing. It disappeared from view as they flew over downtown Oakland, but Jason still stared** **into the distance, his expression almost as unsettled as Piper's dad's.**

**"Monsters," her dad said, a tear tracing his cheek. "I live in a world of monsters."**

"Finished." Celin mentally sighed in relief at having to finish such a heavy chapter. 

"Does anybody else want to read?"

After hesitation, Lacy said. "Um... I'll do it if nobody else wants to..."

Getting no protest from the other readers, Lacy slowly took the book and started to read.

" **Piper XLVI** ,"


	47. Piper XLVI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3.Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" **Piper XLVI** ," Lacy began.

**Air traffic control didn't want to let an unscheduled helicopter land at the Oakland Airport—until Piper got on the radio. Then it turned out to be no** **problem.**

"Why can't charmspeak be a child of Hermes ability?" Connor complained.

"Because then nobody would be safe." Katie said solemnly.

**They unloaded on the tarmac, and everyone looked at Piper.**

**"What now?" Jason asked her.**

**She felt uncomfortable. She didn't want to be in charge, but for her dad's sake, she had to appear confident. She had no plan. She'd just** **remembered that he'd flown into Oakland, which meant his private plane would still be here. But today was the solstice. They had to save Hera.**

"If there's time left." Hera grumbled. "Just drop him off on his plane and come rescue me."

"It's not that easy!" Aphrodite protested. "Somebody has to take care of him, he's in no condition to do it himself!"

"If they don't save me by the end of the solstice, we'll all be dead!" Hera snapped.

**They had** **no idea where to go or if they were even too how could she leave her dad in this condition?**

**"First thing," she said. "I—I have to get my dad home. I'm sorry, guys."**

"She can't leave!" Hera yelled. "The cage can only be broken by her and Leo together!"

"I knew they should've brought me instead." Drew smiled smugly.

"She doesn't have a choice, her father needs her." Aphrodite stressed.

"The world needs her!" Hera argued back. "She can't go back against the prophecy!"

"Why doesn't she just ask Coach Hedge to take care of him for her?" Percy asked, as if the answer was obvious.

The readers froze and looked at Percy as if he had said something really stupid.

"You honestly think Coach Hedge is going to give up fighting monsters and saving the queen of gods to babysit a mortal?" Thalia asked slowly. "You really think he'd do that?"

Percy rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, he probably wouldn't want to do it, but he has to take one for the team, right? He's the only one that wasn't mentioned in the prophecy." _And let's face it, he'd probably get in the way if he was there._

"That sounds like a good idea." Annabeth agreed, much to his relief. "But I don't think Piper would want to shoulder her responsibilities onto somebody else."

Percy frowned. "That's true." He'd feel the same way about his mom or Annabeth.

**Their faces fell.**

**"Oh," Leo said. "I mean, absolutely. He needs you right now. We can take it from here."**

**"Pipes, no." Her dad had been sitting in the helicopter doorway, a blanket around his shoulders. But he stumbled to his feet. "You have a mission. A** **quest.**

"Exactly." Hera agreed.

**I can't—"**

**"I'll take care of him," said Coach Hedge.**

Eyes widened in surprise.

Percy smirked at Thalia.

"Looks like you owe me and Coach Hedge an apology." he said smugly.

"Whatever! You're a goat whisperer, so what?" she replied, rolling her eyes.

"At least that's one problem taken care of." Annabeth sighed with relief. "I can't imagine what would've happened if Piper wasn't there."

"We'd be screwed, I know that for sure." Leo said, putting his rubber bands in his pocket.

He rolled up his sleeves.

**Piper stared at him. The satyr was the last person she'd expected to offer. "You?" she asked.**

**"I'm a protector," Gleeson said. "That's my job, not fighting."**

**He sounded a little crestfallen, and Piper realized maybe she shouldn't have recounted how he got knocked unconscious in the last battle.**

"That definitely didn't help." Leo said, holding back laughter. "I still can't believe she said that."

**In his own** **way, maybe the satyr was as sensitive as her dad.**

**Then Hedge straightened, and set his jaw. "Of course, I'm good at fighting, too." He glared at them all, daring them to argue.**

"No way! You're super tough!" Travis said, trying not to smile.

"Toughest goat I know." Connor said, unable to hold back a snicker.

"Wouldn't want to get into a fight with him!" Leo added, smiling a little too hard to be taken seriously.

**The coach grunted. "But I'm a protector, and I can do this. Your dad's right, Piper. You need to carry on with the quest."**

"He's a little violent... Okay, _really_ violent!" Grover admitted after people (even Dionysus) gave him _Are-you-serious?_ looks. "But despite his flaws and weird desire for killing things, you can't help but admire the way he put his job before what he wants."

"Yeah." Clarisse agreed with a smile.

**"But ..." Piper's eyes stung, as if she were back in the forest fire. "Dad ..."**

**He held out his arms, and she hugged him. He felt frail. He was trembling so much, it scared her.**

Aphrodite sighed sadly.

**"Let's give them a minute," Jason said, and they took the pilot a few yards down the tarmac.**

**"I can't believe it," her dad said. "I failed you."**

_You did the best you could, Tristan._ Aphrodite thought.

**"No, Dad!"**

**"The things they did, Piper, the visions they showed me ..."**

"They're all lies. Don't believe everything the giants tell you." Aphrodite warned.

**"Dad, listen." She took out the vial from her pocket. "Aphrodite gave me this, for you. It takes away your recent memories. It'll make it like none of this** **ever happened."**

**...[Tristan] "But you're a hero. I would forget that?"**

**"Yes," Piper whispered. She forced an assuring tone into her voice. "Yes, you would.**

"But it's worth it." the goddess of love muttered.

Leo searched though his pockets before he pulled out a pen and began doodling on the wall.

**It'll be like—like before."**

**...[Tristan] "I love you, Piper. I always have. I—I sent you away because I didn't want you exposed to my life. Not the way I grew up—the poverty, the hopelessness. Not the Hollywood insanity either. I thought—I thought I was protecting you." He managed a brittle laugh. "As if your life without me was better, or safer."**

**Piper took his hand. She'd heard him talk about protecting her before, but she'd never believed it. She'd always thought he was just rationalizing.**

**...Finally Piper understood he'd been acting for her benefit, trying not to show how scared and insecure he was.**

_It's kinda like how Mom had to put up with living with Smelly Gabe because of me._ Percy thought with a frown.

Next to his previous artwork, Leo drew a lumpy cookie.

**She offered him the vial. "Take it. Maybe someday we'll be ready to talk about this again. When you're ready."**

**"When I'm ready," he murmured. "You make it sound like—like I'm the one growing up. I'm supposed to be the parent." He took the vial. His eyes** **glimmered with a small desperate hope. "I love you, Pipes."**

**"Love you, too, Dad."**

**He drank the pink liquid.**

Shoulders slumping in relief, Aphrodite smiled sadly.

**His eyes rolled up into his head, and he slumped forward. Piper caught him, and her friends ran up to help.**

**"Got him," Hedge said... "I already asked our ranger friend to call up his** **plane. It's on the way now. Home address?"**

Leo absentmindedly drew crooked stars.

**...She checked her dad's pocket, and his BlackBerry was still there. It seemed bizarre that he'd still have something so normal after all he'd been through, but she guessed Enceladus hadn't seen any reason to take it.**

"It's not like he was able to call for help anyway." Annabeth muttered.

**"Everything's on here," Piper said. "Address, his chauffeur's number. Just watch out for Jane."**

**Hedge's eyes lit up, like he sensed a possible fight.**

Clarisse laughed.

Aphrodite smile more sinister at the thought of the satyr attacking Jane.

_It's not as exciting as fighting monsters, but I'm sure telling off Jane would be fun._ the goddess wished there would be a chapter dedicated to just that.

**By the time Piper explained, her dad's sleek white Gulf-stream had taxied next to the helicopter.** **Hedge and the flight attendant got Piper's dad on board. Then Hedge came down one last time to say his good-byes. He gave Piper a hug and** **glared at Jason and Leo. "You cupcakes take care of this girl, you hear? Or I'm gonna make you do push-ups."**

"Oh no! Not push ups!" Apollo chuckled.

**"You got it, Coach," Leo said, a smile tugging at his mouth.**

**"No push-ups," Jason promised.**

**Piper gave the old satyr one more hug. "Thank you, Gleeson. Take care of him, please."**

**"I got this, McLean," he assured her. "They got root beer and veggie enchiladas on this flight, and one hundred percent linen napkins—yum! I could** **get used to this."**

"Lucky!" Grover exclaimed.

**Trotting up the stairs, he lost one shoe, and his hoof was visible for just a second. The flight attendant's eyes widened, but she looked away and** **pretended nothing was wrong.**

Hermes, Apollo, and the Stolls laughed.

"She must've seen a whole lot of weirder things if she was willing to just ignore that." Travis snickered. 

**...When the plane was heading down the runaway, Piper started to cry. She'd been holding it in too long and she just couldn't anymore. Before she** **knew it, Jason was hugging her, and Leo stood uncomfortably nearby, pulling Kleenex out of his tool belt.**

_You did the right thing, Piper. I know it wasn't easy._ Aphrodite thought proudly.

"Maybe one day he'll be ready to learn the truth." Percy said.

**"Your dad's in good hands," Jason said. "You did amazing."**

Lacy nodded in agreement.

**...The helicopter pilot was already looking uncomfortable, like she was starting to wonder why she'd flown them here.**

"Thank gods, Piper actually didn't leave." Leo said, trying to write his name out with his left hand. "I don't know what we would've told her when she snapped out of the charmspeak."

**"Thank you, guys," Piper said. "I—"**

**She wanted to tell them how much they meant to her...** **But her friends' expressions told her they understood.** **  
**

**Then, right next to Jason, the air began to shimmer...** **It was an Iris message. An image appeared in the air—a dark-haired girl in silver winter** **camouflage, holding a bow.**

**Jason stumbled back in surprise. "Thalia!"**

**"Thank the gods," said the Hunter. The scene behind her was hard to make out, but Piper heard yelling, metal clashing on metal, and explosions.**

Artemis worriedly frowned at the description.

**"We've found her," Thalia said.**

"Finally." Hera grumbled.

**"Where are you?"**

**"Oakland," he said. "Where are you?"**

**"The Wolf House! Oakland is good; you're not too far.**

"How about instead of bein cryptic, you tell him exactly where the Wolf House is." the goddess of marriage said. "He doesn't exactly remember where it is."

Thalia glared at her. "And whose fault is that?"

**We're holding off the giant's minions, but we can't hold them forever. Get here before sunset,** **or it's all over."**

**"Then it's not too late?" Piper cried...**

"Yes, no thanks to your little detour." Hera grumbled.

**"Not yet," Thalia said. "But Jason—it's worse than I realized. Porphyrion is rising. Hurry."**

The readers tensed.

**"But where is the Wolf House?" he pleaded.**

**"Our last trip," Thalia said, her image starting to flicker. "The park. Jack London. Remember?"**

"It's about time." Hera muttered under her breath.

**This made no sense to Piper, but Jason looked like he'd been shot. He tottered, his face pale, and the Iris message disappeared.**

**"Bro, you all right?" Leo asked. "You know where she is?"**

**"Yes," Jason said. "Sonoma Valley. Not far. Not by air."**

"But how would they get there. They can't have the pilot bring them, it'd be too dangerous for her." Hestia brought up with a frown.

"Don't worry, we didn't bring the pilot." Leo assured her. He turned around to face the others. "I flew us to the Wolf House."

His statement was met with fearful and doubtful looks.

"Wait, you?" Will hesitantly asked, secretly hoping he heard wrong. "Since when did you learn how to fly a helicopter?"

"When I flew to the Wolf House." He rolled his eyes when a couple faces paled. " _Seriously?_ Me flying a dragon was fine, but the thought of me flying a helicopter is just too much?"

"Technically, you didn't fly Festus." Katie argued, "he sorta already knew where you wanted him to go and flew in that direction. Flying a helicopter requires a bit more than that."

" _A lot_ more than that." Thalia stressed. "You don't even know how to drive yet and you're going to be flying a helicopter!"

"The boy will be fine." Hephaestus said. The other readers stared at him as he was insane.

"It's better if you see for yourself than explain it to you." Jake added, earning confused looks.

**Piper turned to the ranger pilot, who'd been watching all this with an increasingly puzzled expression.**

**"Ma'am," Piper said with her best smile. "You don't** **mind helping us one more time, do you?"**

**"I don't mind," the pilot agreed.**

**"We can't take a mortal into battle," Jason said. "It's too dangerous." He turned to Leo. "Do you think you could fly this thing?"**

"His first instinct was to ask Leo?" Thalia muttered, baffled. _Why would he even think he could do it?_

**"Um ..." Leo's expression didn't exactly reassure Piper.**

Apparently it reassure the readers either.

"You gotta relax." Nyssa told him. "If you think about it too long, you'll panic and crash."

"What kind of pep talk is that?!" Thalia exclaimed.

**But then he put his hand on the side of the helicopter, concentrating hard, as if listening to** **the machine.**

"Don't tell me, he's trying of think a name for it." Clarisse said.

"Please," Leo rolled his eyes. "I didn't even need to think about it. I knew she was a 'Bella' from the start."

He twirled his pen.

"Is there a reason he names them or..." Connor trailed off. Travis shrugged. 

"Must be a Hephaestus thing." he guessed.

**"Bell 412HP utility helicopter," Leo said. "Composite four-blade main rotor, cruising speed twenty-two knots, service ceiling twenty-thousand feet.** **The tank is near full. Sure, I can fly it."**

A couple jaws dropped.

"You can tell just by touching it?" Percy said, dumbfounded.

"Machine Expertise." Hephaestus explained with a little pride in his voice. "All my children can instinctively fly or drive any mechanical vehicle."

"Really?" Travis asked Jake and Nyssa. After getting confirming nods, he beamed in excitement. "Cool! Leo can be our getaway driver!" 

Balancing the pen on the side of his finger, Leo made a face at that.

Connor narrowed his eyes. "I thought I was the getaway driver!"

His brother pushed him. "Yeah, and the last time you did, you drove us straight into the Athena Cabin." Travis pretended not to notice the glares from said goddess and her daughter. "I'm not going through that again. At least Leo's programed to drive, he could even hotwire the van."

The Stoll brother smiled at his genius.

"Think about it, man." Travis told the son of Hephaestus. "The adrenaline rush. The roaring engine of the camp bus. The world zooming past you. The twists and turns you have to make to get back to the woods-"

"Miranda Gardiner screaming for us to come back..." Connor added with a snicker. Katie gave him a particularly nasty glare.

"Yeah! It's so fun! And of course, we'll split the merchandise three ways. Whaddya say, Leo? Uh... Leo?" He frowned when he noticed the other begin to pale.

"I'm fine." Leo responded, trying to focus on the wall across from him. "Just thinking about the motions of the van..." he paused and swallowed thickly. "Yeah, sorry guys. I don't think I'll be a good getaway driver. Cars make me motion sick."

Now everyone was staring at Leo as if he stated the moon was made of cheese.

"Are you kidding me?" Connor said in disbelief. "You flew a dragon and are about to fly a helicopter, but cars are where you draw the line?"

"I'm weird like that." he shrugged as if that explained everything.

"I guess we can work around it." Travis grumbled. _At least he can hotwire the van._

**Piper smiled at the ranger again. "You don't have a problem with an under-aged unlicensed kid borrowing your copter, do you?**

"Why would she? I don't see the problem with that!" Apollo laughed.

"I can't say I'm surprised." Artemis said.

**We'll return it."**

**"I—" The pilot nearly choked on the words, but she got them out: "I don't have a problem with that."**

**Leo grinned. "Hop in, kids. Uncle Leo's gonna take you for a ride."**

"Finished." Lacy said.

"I'll read next." Hermes said, taking the book.

" **Leo XLVII** ,"


	48. Leo XLVII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3.Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" **Leo XLVII** ," Hermes began.

**Fly a helicopter? Sure, why not. Leo had done plenty of crazier things that week.**

"That's probably about as normal as I'm going to get." Leo stated, tapping the pen on his leg.

"Normal's overrated." Connor told him.

**The sun was going down as they flew north over the Richmond Bridge,**  

Hera grimaced at that. _Can't that helicopter go any faster?_

**and Leo couldn't believe the day had gone so quickly. Once again, nothing like ADHD and a good fight to the death to make time fly.**

"Tell me about," Percy said. "It's hard to believe we were just fighting the Titans earlier today and now we're here reading a book."

"I know, it feels so surreal." Annabeth agreed.

"How do you think I feel?" Leo asked. "One minute I was in the future, minding my own business, then _bam!_ I got sent to the past and expected to read a couple books with you guys."

**Piloting the chopper, he went back and forth between confidence and panic.**

"Just relax." Jake told Leo. "It's better to get distracted than focus on what you're doing."

"Try thinking about something else." Nyssa suggested. "You could look out the window or try talking with your friends."

"This has to be the most bizarre driving advice I've ever heard." Percy blinked. "And I've seen Apollo give Thalia driving lessons."

"Don't remind me..." Thalia said, face going pale.

**If he didn't think about it, he found himself automatically flipping the right** **switches, checking the altimeter, easing back on the stick, and flying straight.**

Hephaestus smiled and nodded his head in approval.

**If he allowed himself to consider what he was doing, he started freaking** **out.** **He imagined his Aunt Rosa yelling at him in Spanish, telling him he was a delinquent lunatic who was going to crash and burn.**

The god of fire scowled. "That woman hardly ever knew what she was talking about. She only spoke because she liked the sound of her voice."

Leo couldn't help but grin at that. "You'd think so with the way she was always yelling."

**Part of him suspected** **she was right.**

"You'll be fine. You're a natural pilot." Hephaestus told him. "Close your eyes if you get too nervous."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this." Thalia deadpanned.

**"Going okay?" Piper asked...She sounded more nervous than he was, so Leo put on a brave face.**

**"Aces," he said. "So what's the Wolf House?"**

**Jason knelt between their seats. "An abandoned mansion in the Sonoma Valley. A demigod built it—Jack London."**

Mercury beamed in pride at the mention of his son before wincing and changing back to Hermes.

"Jack London was a demigod?" Annabeth said in surprise. "I never knew that!"

"That's because he's Roman." Hermes explained. "He's er..." the god winced. "The _other guy's_ son."

**Leo couldn't place the name. "He an actor?"**

"No!" Annabeth said, honestly shocked he hadn't heard of him. "Jack London was an author. He wrote books like _Call of the Wild_ and _White Fang_ _._ Haven't you ever had to read one of his books for a class?"

Leo twirled his pen and shrugged. "Probably. Never read any of the books my classes assigned me."

"SparkNotes?" Percy guessed with a lopsided grin.

Leo grinned back. "You know it!"

Annabeth sighed and shook her head in disappointment.

**"Writer," Piper said. "Adventure stuff, right? _Call of the Wild?_ _White Fang?_ "**

**"Yeah," Jason said. "He was a son of Mercury—** Hermes winced.

"Com'on Jason, give me a break here." he muttered, rubbing his temples. Despite the pain in his head, he read on.

**I mean, Hermes.**

_It's a little too late for that but thanks for trying._ Hermes thought, still cradling his aching head.

**He was an adventurer, traveled the world. He was even a hobo for a while. Then he** **made a fortune writing. He bought a big ranch in the country and decided to build this huge mansion—the Wolf House."**

**"Named that 'cause he wrote about wolves?" Leo guessed.**

"Now that I know he's a Roman demigod, I don't think so..." Annabeth said.

**"Partially," Jason said. "But the site, and the reason he wrote about wolves—he was dropping hints about his personal experience. There're a lot** **holes in his life story—how he was born, who his dad was, why he wandered around so much—stuff you can only explain if you know he was a demigod."**

"I have to reread his books." the daughter of Athena said excitedly. "This changes my whole viewpoint of his work!"

**"So Jack London went to Camp Half-Blood," Leo guessed.**

**"No," Jason said. "No, he didn't."**

Some of the demigods frowned. 

"Is he gaining back some of his memories or is this all coming from the top of his head?" Will asked.

**..."Pieces," Jason said. "Only pieces. None of it good. The Wolf House is on sacred ground. It's where London started his journey as a child—where** **he found out he was a demigod. That's why he returned there. He thought he could live there, claim that land, but it wasn't meant for him. The Wolf House** **was cursed. It burned in a fire a week before he and his wife were supposed to move in. A few years later, London died, and his ashes were buried on** **the site."**

"How does he know so much about this guy?" Thalia asked with a frown.

"It's apart of their history. The Wolf House is as much of a historical landmark as your tree is to us." Surprisingly, Nico explained. He quickly added. "Or at least, I think so."

The son of Hades ducked his head down and twisted his skull ring.

**"So," Piper said, "how do you know all this?"**

**A shadow crossed Jason's face. Probably just a cloud, but Leo could swear the shape looked like an eagle.**

A couple people shuddered.

"Creepy." Travis muttered.

"What's up with that?" Connor asked.

"I dunno." Leo said, tucking his pen behind his ear. "Could've just been my eyes tricking me."

**"I started my journey there too," Jason said. "It's a powerful place for demigods, a dangerous place.**

"How? Isn't that just a place where demigods get claimed? Or is there more to it than that?" Percy asked.

"I'm sure they do other things there. Maybe training or other forms of initiation." Annabeth told him.

_I guess I'll have to find out later._ Percy frowned.

**If Gaea can claim it, use its power to entomb** **Hera on the solstice and raise Porphyrion—that might be enough to awaken the earth goddess fully."**

More people shuddered at the thought.

**Leo kept his hand on the joystick, guiding the chopper at full speed—racing toward the north...**

_It wasn't on full speed before?_ Hera felt her eye twitch.

**Piper's dad had called him a hero earlier. And Leo couldn't believe some of the things he'd done—smacking around Cyclopes, disarming exploding** **doorbells, battling six-armed ogres with construction equipment. They seemed like they had happened to another person.**

"Yeah, looking back on it, it's hard to believe the things you did on a quest." Percy said.

"You've had a long couple of days." Will said.

"Tell me about it." Leo rocked his chair back.

**He was just Leo Valdez, an** **orphaned kid from Houston. He'd spent his life running away, and part of him still wanted to run. What was he thinking, flying toward a cursed mansion to f** **ight more evil monsters?**

**His mom's voice echoed in his head: _Nothing is unfixable._**

**_Except the fact that you're gone forever,_ Leo thought.**

Hephaestus winced while Leo kept his eyes trained on his feet.

Remembering his earlier questioning, Hades eyed the boy suspiciously. _I swear, if I have another visit from a demigod demanding their mother back..._

**Seeing Piper and her dad back together had really driven that home. Even if Leo survived this quest and saved Hera, Leo wouldn't have any happy reunions. He wouldn't be going back to a loving family. He wouldn't see his mom.** Hermes grimaced.

The demigods shifted uncomfortably, they looked like they had something to say but weren't sure how to put into words.

"That's not true... I mean, you might not have your mom but you have us?" Jake fumbled. Despite everything in his body telling him to look away, he managed to maintain eye contact with the other boy. "We're still your family."

"Yeah!" Travis spoke up (much to Jake's relief). "And if you hadn't had a happy reunion before, you'll definitely be getting one the moment you come to Camp!"

"But I won't even know you guys." Leo pointed out.

"That'll just make it even better, you'll be having a 'Welcome Back' party and not even know why!" Connor laughed. "We'll make such a big deal about you coming to Camp, you'll feel right at home!"

"Or feel so embarrassed I could die!" Leo joked, laughing along with him and the others.

As some of the other demigods shouted out a few ideas for the 'Welcome Back' party (Wait, they weren't actually planning this were they?) Leo couldn't help but feel genuinely surprised how comfortable he felt around them. It was only yesterday that he knew next to nothing about nearly everyone in the room. Even his own siblings hadn't connected with him as well as they are now, yet here he was talking to them as if they've been close for years. 

_Maybe it's because they've read my thoughts?_ Whatever the reason was, Leo couldn't help but feel grateful for having a chance to get to know them all.

"Alright everyone, settle down." Hestia said. She was smiling widely, she'd been doing it ever since the topic of a party came up. "We can talk about this more after we finish reading."

It took awhile but the demigods quieted down enough for Hermes to keep reading.

**...He leveled out the chopper, and the creaking stopped. He was just hearing things. He couldn't dwell on his mom, or the idea that kept bugging him —that Gaea was bringing souls back from the Underworld—so why couldn't he make some good come out of it? Thinking like that would drive him crazy.**

**He had a job to do.**

_Good, please stay focused on that._ Hades thought.

**He let his instincts take over—just like flying the helicopter. If he thought about the quest too much, or what might happen afterward, he'd panic. The** **trick was not to think—just get through it.**

Jake and Nyssa nodded in agreement.

"Just do that and you'll be fine." she said.

**"Thirty minutes out," he told his friends, though he wasn't sure how he knew.**

"Instincts." Hephaestus explained.

**"If you want to get some rest, now's a good time."**

**Jason strapped himself into the back of the helicopter and passed out almost immediately. Piper and Leo stayed wide-awake.**

**... [Leo] "Your dad'll be fine, you know. Nobody's gonna mess with him with that crazy goat around."**

**Piper glanced over, and Leo was struck by how much she'd changed. Not just physically. Her presence was stronger. She seemed more ... _here_. At ** **Wilderness School she'd spent the semester trying not to be seen, hiding out in the back row of the classroom, the back of the bus, the corner of the** **lunchroom as far as possible from the loud kids. Now she would be impossible to miss. It didn't matter what she was wearing —you'd have to look at** **her.**

Aphrodite smiled proudly.

**"My dad," [Piper]... "Yeah, I know. I was thinking about Jason. I'm worried about him."**

**Leo nodded. The closer they got to that bank of dark clouds, the more Leo worried, too. "He's starting to remember. That's got to make him a little** **edgy."**

"Who knows what's he remembering..." Thalia frowned. _He said none of them were good. I hope they're not too terrible._

**"But what if ... what if he's a different person?"...**

"The Mist doesn't change personality like that." Annabeth said. "The same person Jason is, is the same person he was before."

**If their friend wasn't their** **friend, and they were heading into a cursed mansion—a dangerous place for demigods—what would happen if Jason's full memory came back in the middle of a battle?**

The gods paled at the thought.

The demigods tried to not look like that bothered them.

_We said we'd give Jason and the Romans a chance. We can't get this done without them._ Mitchell reminded himself. 

"Hopefully they're actually helpful in battle and not those dumb life tips Lupa told him." Thalia grumbled. _'Death in battle is honorable.' I don't want to hear that coming from an immortal._

**"Nah," Leo decided. "After all we've been through? I can't see it. We're a team. Jason can handle it."**

**Piper smoothed her blue dress, which was tattered and burned from their fight on Mount Diablo.**

_That was a good dress too._ Aphrodite sighed. _Good thing the mall had a sale._

**"I hope you're right. I need him ..."**

Cheered up by those words, Aphrodite giggled.

**She cleared her throat. "I mean I need to trust him..."**

**"I know," Leo said. After seeing her dad break down, Leo understood Piper couldn't afford to lose Jason as well. She'd just watched Tristan McLean, her cool suave movie star dad, reduced to near insanity. Leo could barely stand to watch that, but for Piper** **—Wow, Leo couldn't even imagine. He** **figured that would make her insecure about herself, too.** **If weakness was inherited, she'd be wondering, could she break down the same way her dad did?**

"No," Lacy said firmly. "Piper's stronger than that."

Drew snorted.

**"Hey, don't worry," Leo said. "Piper, you're the strongest, most powerful beauty queen I've ever met. You can trust yourself. For what it's worth, you** **can trust me too."**

The goddess of love gave Leo a grateful smile.

Leo rocked his chair back and forth.

**The helicopter dipped in a wind shear, and Leo almost jumped out of his skin. He cursed and righted the chopper.**

"I was nervous!" Leo defended when the others stiffened.

"Well stop being nervous!" Thalia said. "You've already had enough crashes for a lifetime!"

**Piper laughed nervously. "Trust you, huh?"**

"It was an accident!"

**"Ah, shut up, already." But he grinned at her, and for a second, it felt like he was just relaxing comfortably with a friend.**

**Then they hit the storm clouds.**

_They've been running into a lot of storms recently._ Annabeth noticed.

"Finished." Hermes said.

"I'll read next." Mitchell said, taking the book.

" **Leo XLVIII** ,"


	49. Leo XLVIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3.Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" **Leo XLVIII** ," Mitchell read.

**AT FIRST, LEO THOUGHT ROCKS WERE pelting the windshield. Then he realized it was sleet. Frost built up around the edges of the glass, and slushy waves of ice blotted out his view.**

"Another snow storm?" Annabeth frowned. "Is Boreas working for Gaea?" 

"It's possible." Athena said. "Or he could be following Aelous' orders. He was instructed by her to kill Leonidas and the others earlier."

The goddess of wisdom glanced at Leo to see his reaction. She smiled to herself when he winced.

Leo scowled. _She's calling me that just to mess with me. I just know it_ _._

**"An ice storm?" Piper shouted over the engine and the wind. "Is it supposed to be this cold in Sonoma?"**

"Not this bad." Annabeth frowned. _It has to be Boreas. There's no way a freak snow storm would come out of nowhere like this._

**Leo wasn't sure, but something about this storm seemed conscious, malevolent—like it was intentionally slamming them.**

Thalia paled. "Can the helicopter handle that?"

Leo frowned. "Uh..." He rocked his chair back.

The daughter of Zeus grimaced. "Great."

**Jason woke up quickly. He crawled forward, grabbing their seats for balance. "We've got to be getting close."**

**...Suddenly it wasn't so easy to drive the chopper. Its movements turned sluggish and jerky...The helicopter probably hadn't been prepped for cold-weather flying. The controls refused to respond, and they started to lose altitude.**

"Not again!" Thalia squeezed her eyes shut. "How does this happen to the same three people?"

"We're lucky, I guess." Leo responded, brushing his hair back.

**"There!" Jason shouted.**

**A small valley opened up before them, with the murky shape of a building in the middle. Leo aimed the helicopter straight for it...**

**He set down the helicopter in an icy field about fifty yards from the house and killed the engine. He was about to relax when he heard a whistling** **sound and saw a dark shape hurtling toward them out of the mist.**

**"Out!" Leo screamed.**

**They leaped from the helicopter and barely cleared the rotors before a massive BOOM shook the ground, knocking Leo off his feet and splattering** **ice all over him.**

"So much for returning that." Apollo chuckled.

"I hope the pilot doesn't lose her job for this..." Hestia said to herself, tending to the hearth.

"What a waste of machinery." Hephaestus sighed.

"Poor Bella." Leo shook his head sadly.

**"You all right?" Jason ran up to him, Piper at his side. They both looked fine except for being speckled with snow and mud.**

"First it's hot and now it's snowing..." Aphrodite frowned. "I'll have to rethink their entire outfits." _I could get Piper something cute like overalls. Oooo, but I really like her in that dress... Maybe keep the dress but add lined tights? Yeah! I could find some matching boots too! But they would have to be durable enough to climb a mountain... and I need a fire-proof outfit for Leo... and accessories Gleeson wouldn't eat..._

She had a lot of work to do.

**...Piper pointed south. "Fighting's over there." Then she frowned. "No ... it's all around us."**

**She was right. The sounds of combat rang across the valley. The snow and mist made it hard to tell for sure, but there seemed to be a circle of** **fighting all around the Wolf House.**

"Does the mist have something to do with the storm? Or does that come with the creepy mansion?" Connor asked. 

**Behind them loomed Jack London's dream home—a massive ruin of red and gray stones and rough-hewn timber beams. Leo could imagine how it** **had looked before it burned down—a combination log cabin and castle, like a billionaire lumberjack might build. But in the mist and sleet, the place had** **a lonely, haunted feel. Leo could totally believe the ruins were cursed.**

"Definitely came with the mansion." Travis answered with a shudder.

"Can you imagine getting claimed here?" Katie asked, making a face at the thought. "How does that even work? Do their parents drive them here? But what if they don't know their kids are demigods like Piper's dad? Do the wolves come get them?"

"Good questions." Annabeth said. "Maybe we could find something from the books in the attic. We could learn more about their culture or find out something about the history between us. Even if it's just about the Roman gods, it'll be useful to know that beforehand."

Leo frowned in bewilderment. "What attic?"

"The attic in the Big House." Will explained. "We keep our Oracle in there, it's a long story," he added, seeing the boy's horrified face. "Now that we're getting a new Oracle, the attic's just going to be filled with stuff from old quests and books."

_Books..._ It won't be as fast as searching the internet, but they might tell him something about Asclepius and his death-curing potion. Maybe if he's lucky, he could learn the ingredients.

_Guess I'll be visiting the attic._ Leo thought. Taking out his notepad, he wrote down a reminder.

**"Jason!" a girl's voice called.**

**Thalia appeared from the fog, her parka caked with snow...** **She ran toward them, but** **made it only a few steps before a six-armed ogre—one of the Earthborn—burst out of the storm behind her, a raised club in each hand.**

Zeus stiffened but Thalia groaned in annoyance.

"Amateur." she grumbled. 

**...She launched herself into a flip, notching an arrow as she pivoted like a** **gymnast and landed in a kneeling position. The ogre got a silver arrow right between the eyes and melted into a pile of clay.**

"Nice one, Thalia." Artemis grinned. 

Her huntress smiled back. "Thanks."

**Thalia stood and retrieved her arrow, but the point had snapped off. "That was my last one." She kicked the pile of clay resentfully. "Stupid ogre."**

**"Nice shot, though," Leo said.**

**Thalia ignored him as usual (which no doubt meant she thought he was as cool as ever).**

Thalia rolled her eyes. "I'm so glad you're over me."

"Yeah, me too." Leo said, not looking up. He wrote down questions he needed answered for his research. _Something tells me it wouldn't be just my heart that'd be broken..._

**... [Thalia] "Just in time. My Hunters are holding a perimeter around the mansion, but we'll be overrun any minute."**

**"By Earthborn?" Jason asked.**

**"And wolves—Lycaon's minions."**

"Great, they're back too." Nico said sarcastically. 

**Thalia blew a fleck of ice off her nose. "Also storm spirits—"**

"But didn't they give them to Aeolus?" Percy said.

"He probably released them and sent them after Leo and the others." Annabeth replied with a frown.

"All that hard work for nothing." Leo muttered.

**... [Thalia] "But the monsters keep re-forming almost as fast as we can kill them. We took the Wolf House with no problem: surprised t** **he guards and sent them straight to Tartarus.** **But then this freak snowstorm blew in. Wave after wave of monsters started attacking. Now we're** **surrounded.**

"This sounds like a trap." Athena commented. "Someone must've known the hunters were coming and planned for this to happen."

**I don't know who or what is leading the assault, but I think they planned this. It was a trap to kill anyone who tried to rescue Hera."**

**"Where is she?" Jason asked.**

**"Inside," Thalia said. "We tried to free her, but we can't figure out how to break the cage. It's only a few minutes until the sun goes down.**

"Only a few minutes 'til Doomsday?" Lacy squeaked.

"Pretty much." Leo responded.

The readers tensed.

"I don't know how you're planning to free her," Travis said. "But I hope it's quick."

**Hera thinks** **that's the moment when Porphyrion will be reborn.** **Plus, most monsters are stronger at night. If we don't free Hera soon—"**

"Yeah okay, we get the point." Travis muttered, face paling.

**...Leo, Jason, and Piper followed her into the ruined mansion.**

**Jason stepped over the threshold and immediately collapsed.**

"What's wrong?" Thalia immediately asked.

"All of his memories sorta came back to him." Leo explained. "I guess it overwhelmed his brain."

"All of them..." Chris murmured worriedly.

**"Hey!" Leo caught him. "None of that, man. What's wrong?"**

**"This place ..." Jason shook his head. "Sorry ... It came rushing back to me."**

_Maybe I shouldn't have given him those memories so soon ..._ Hera thought, tightly clasping her hands together. _What if they become too distracting for him in the battle?_ She remembered Enceladus using his memories against him.

**"So you have been here," Piper said.**

**"We both have," Thalia said. Her expression was grim, like she was reliving someone's death. "This is where my mom took us when Jason was a** **child. She left him here, told me he was dead. He just disappeared."**

**"She gave me to the wolves," Jason murmured. "At Hera's insistence. She gave me to Lupa."**

**"That part I didn't know." Thalia frowned. "Who is Lupa?"**

**An explosion shook the building. Just outside, a blue mushroom cloud billowed up, raining snowflakes and ice like a nuclear blast made of cold** **instead of heat.**

"Maybe you should talk about this later." Apollo said uneasily.

"Preferably when we're not only minutes away from giants taking over the world." Hermes added. 

**...Once inside, Jason seemed to get his bearings. The house was built in a giant U, and Jason led them between the two wings to an outside courtyard with an empty reflecting pool. At the bottom of the pool, just as Jason had described from his dream, two spires of rock and root tendrils had cracked through the foundation.**

**One of the spires was much bigger—a solid dark mass about twenty feet high...Underneath the mass of** **fused tendrils he could make out the shape of a head, wide shoulders, a massive chest and arms, like the creature was stuck waist deep in the earth.**

**No, not stuck—rising.**

Hera shuddered in disgust. Zeus grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

The demigods shivered.

**On the opposite end of the pool, the other spire was smaller and more loosely woven. Each tendril was as thick as a telephone pole, with so little** **space between them that Leo doubted he could've gotten his arm through. Still, he could see in the center of the cage stood Tía Callida.**

"You're still calling her that?" Apollo chuckled.

"It's more out of habit than anything." Leo shrugged.

**She looked exactly like Leo remembered: dark hair covered with a shawl, the black dress of a widow, a wrinkled face with glinting, scary eyes.**

**She didn't glow or radiate any sort of power. She looked like a regular mortal woman, his good old psychotic babysitter.**

Hephaestus narrowed his eyes at her. Hera glared back.

**Leo dropped into the pool and approached the cage. " _Hola, Tía_. Little bit of trouble?"**

Hera rolled her eyes. "Very funny, but now's not the time for jokes! Hurry up and free me this instant!"

"You gotta say the magic words first!" Hera narrowed her eyes at him and Leo quickly backtracked. "Alright, alright. But it's not as easy as you'd think, it'll take awhile to get you outta there."

"But you don't have time!" Katie said. "You only have minutes until sundown!"

"We're so screwed." Hermes muttered under his breath.

**She crossed her arms and sighed in exasperation. "Don't inspect me like I'm one of your machines, Leo Valdez. Get me out of here!"**

"Nice to know no matter how far in the future this is, Hera will still be her annoying self..." Thalia said.

"Watch it." the goddess warned.

**Thalia stepped next to him and looked at the cage with distaste—or maybe she was looking at the goddess. "We tried everything we could think of,** **Leo, but maybe my heart wasn't in it. If it was up to me, I'd just leave her in there."**

Hera glared at Thalia.

"You're really going to regret saying that." she growled.

"I hadn't even said anything yet." Thalia responded dryly.

Ares perked up at the beginnings of a fight.

**"Ohh, Thalia Grace," the goddess said. "When I get out of here, you'll be sorry you were ever born."**

Thalia snorted.

**"Save it!" Thalia snapped. "You've been nothing but a curse to every child of Zeus for ages.**

"Are you sure it's not the other way around?" Hera sneered.

"We didn't ask to be born!" Thalia snapped back. "Yet you still terrorize us!"

"That's right, you didn't!" Ares readily agreed, leaning forward in his throne. "You should really give her a piece of your mind!"

"If you really have a problem, go fight with Dad about it!"

Zeus silently shook his head at Thalia as he tried to fade in the background.

"He really needs to face the consequences of his actions..." Ares nodded in mock sympathy. He flashed a smile at the god who glared back.

**You sent a bunch of intestinally challenged cows after my** **friend Annabeth—"**

"Well maybe if she learned how to hold her tongue and be respectful to a queen, I wouldn't have cursed her." Hera replied.

"It's not my fault you can't handle the truth." Annabeth argued.

"Intestinally challenged cows... Not my type of punishment, but it works..." Ares muttered to himself. _That'll get'em angry, it'll be pretty funny to see them take it out on other people._

"Hey Annabeth, maybe you should stay out of this." Percy suggested in a hushed tone. Annabeth's glare told him to shut up.

" _Excuse me?_ I think I misheard you, do you want to repeat that?" Hera narrowed her eyes at the girl.

"She heard what you said." Ares rolled his eyes. "This time you should _really_ tell her how you feel. Might as well get it off your chest."

Athena scowled at him before turning to her daughter.

"Annabeth..." the goddess said in a warning tone. Annabeth reluctantly kept her mouth shut.

**"She was disrespectful!"**

**"You dropped a statue on my legs."**

"That was unintentional." Hera huffed. "If you hadn't moved Annabeth out of the way then-"

Athena's attention snapped towards the goddess.

"You tried to drop a statue on my daughter?!" she exclaimed, outraged.

"Who does that to a child?!" Ares asked Athena. The god looked surprised, like he honestly couldn't believe someone would do such a thing.

"She was disrespectful!" the goddess said as if that explained everything.

"So killing her was the best option?!"  

Hera shrugged. "It's not like it landed on her, there's no need to be upset."

"Oh, well when you put it like that, I guess it's alright." Ares played along.

"No it isn't!" Athena argued. "It's one thing to harass my child with cows! But it's another thing entirely to try and _kill her!"_

"As much as I'd _love_ to hear the end of this conversation," Artemis cut in. " Keep in mind that while this is all happening, we still have to worry about the end of the solstice."

The goddesses froze.

"She's right." Hera breathed, face pale as reality reared its ugly head.

"Yes." Athena agreed, still glaring at the goddess. "We'll discuss this later."

Ares groaned. "Just when things were starting to get good."

**"It was an accident!"**

"I guess that solves everything!" Ares tried again.

Nobody took the bait.

The god huffed.

**"And you took my brother!" Thalia's voice cracked with emotion. "Here—on this spot. You ruined our lives. We should leave you to Gaea!"**

Thalia sent the goddess a hateful glare.

_I practically saved your lives._ Hera scowled. _I didn't have to do that._

**"Hey," Jason intervened. "Thalia—Sis—I know. But this isn't the time. You should help your Hunters."**

"Excellent idea. Leave the cage to Jason and his friends." Artemis said. _It'll save us the arguing._ _  
_

**Thalia clenched her jaw. "Fine. For you, Jason. But if you ask me, she isn't worth it."**

_No she's not._ Annabeth silently agreed.

**Thalia turned, leaped out of the pool, and stormed from the building.**

Artemis sighed with relief.

**Leo turned to Hera with grudging respect. "Intestinally challenged cows?"**

"Don't respect her for that!" Annabeth snapped.

Leo nervously smiled and raised his hands in surrender. "I'm trying it's just... I mean... It's a pretty creative idea."

"What did you say to deserve that anyway?" Travis snickered.

He shut up at the look Annabeth gave him.

**Focus on the cage, Leo," she grumbled. "And Jason—you are wiser than your sister.**

_More like he can stand stuck up goddesses better than I can._ Thalia huffed. _Besides, it's not like he has a choice whether to help you out or not._

**I chose my champion well."**

**"I'm not your champion, lady," Jason said. "I'm only helping you because you stole my memories and you're better than the alternative.**

"Exactly." Thalia nodded her head in approval.

**Speaking of** **which, what's going on with that?"**

**He nodded to the other spire that looked like the king-size granite body bag. Was Leo imagining it, or had it grown taller since they'd gotten here?**

"He's not imagining it." Athena grimaced. "They need to start working on the cage _now._ "

"You just _had_ to argue with them, didn't you?" Hermes complained to Hera.

"She's such an argumentative person." Ares agreed.

"Not now." Artemis growled before it could start again.

**"That, Jason," Hera said, "is the king of the giants being reborn."**

**... [Hera] "Porphyrion, the strongest of his kind. Gaea needed a great deal of power to raise him again —my power. For weeks I've** **grown weaker as my essence was used to grow him a new form."**

**"So you're like a heat lamp," Leo guessed. "Or fertilizer."**

Hera glared at the boy while a few people held back their laughter.

"Yeah, something like that." Apollo said, not bothering to stop himself from laughing.

"That's a perfect description." Hephaestus smiled.

**The goddess glared at him, but Leo didn't care. This old lady had been making his life miserable since he was a baby. He totally had rights to rag on** **her.**

The god of fire nodded in approval.

**"Joke all you wish," Hera said in a clipped tone. "But at sundown, it will be too late. The giant will awake. He will offer me a choice: marry him,** Zeus scowled at this. **or be consumed by the earth. I cannot marry him. We will all be as we die, Gaea will awaken."**

**Leo frowned at the giant's spire. "Can't we blow it up or something?"**

"It's impossible to do anything to it unless you are helped by a god." Artemis said.

**"Without me, you do not have the power," Hera said. "You might as well try to destroy a mountain."**

"Been there, done that." Leo said.

"Just hurry up and free me!" Hera said impatiently. "The longer we stand there talking, the more time Porphyrion has to rise!"

**...Jason scratched his head. "Leo, can you do it?"**

**"I don't know." Leo tried not to panic. "Besides, if she's a goddess, why hasn't she busted herself out?"**

"I've already tried that!" Hera said impatiently.

**Hera paced furiously around her cage, cursing in Ancient Greek. "Use your brain, Leo Valdez. I picked you because you're intelligent. Once trapped,** **a god's power is useless. Your own father trapped me once in a golden chair. It was humiliating! I had to beg—beg him for my freedom and apologize for** **throwing him off Olympus."**

"You make it sound like I was in the wrong." Hephaestus glared at her.

**"Sounds fair," Leo said.**

Hephaestus smirked.

**Hera gave him the godly stink-eye. "I've watched you since you were a child, son of Hephaestus, because I knew you could aid me at this moment.** **If anyone can find a way to destroy this abomination, it is you."**

"But with what?" Travis asked. "I mean, I know Piper needs to help but how exactly are you going to cut those vine things? It's not like you can use a weed whacker."

**The air turned brittle with cold. The temperature dropped so fast, Leo's lips cracked and his breath changed to mist. Frost coated the walls of the** **Wolf House.**

The readers stiffened.

"What's going on?" Katie said nervously.

**Venti rushed in —but instead of winged men, these were shaped like horses, with dark storm-cloud bodies and manes that crackled with** **lightning. Some had silver arrows sticking out of their flanks. Behind them came red-eyed wolves and the six-armed Earthborn.**

"What happened to us?" Phoebe asked, going tense. "We should be holding them off..."

The hunters and Artemis paled.

**Piper drew her dagger. Jason grabbed an ice-covered plank off the pool floor.** **Leo reached into his tool belt, but he was so shaken up, all he** **produced was a tin of breath mints.**

Despite the situation, Apollo, Hermes, and the Stolls laughed.

"It could've happened to anyone!" Leo defended, face turning red.

**He shoved them back in, hoping nobody had noticed,**

"We noticed!" Apollo made sure to mention with a smile.

**and drew a hammer instead.**

**One of the wolves padded forward. It was dragging a human-size statue by the leg.**

Tension hung in the air. 

The hunters were rigid as they waited for which one of them that statue was.

**At the edge of the pool, the wolf opened its maw and dropped** **the statue for them to see—an ice sculpture of a girl, an archer with short spiky hair and a surprised look on her face.**

Outside of the building, people looked up in surprise at the sudden thunderstorm before scurrying to nearby shelter.

Hera didn't bother hiding the pleased smile on her face.

Apollo pulled his sister into a one armed hug.

"We can change this." He muttered to her.

"Oh my gods..." Annabeth said, blinking back tears. _First Percy... Now Thalia?_

"I'm still here..." Thalia reminded her. "I'm not dead yet."

"She's not dead!" Leo quickly assured the readers. "She's just frozen, kinda like how I was when I got turned to gold."

The readers breathed out sighs of relief. Hera frowned but didn't say anything.

Thalia grimaced but didn't complain. _It's better than being dead._ _  
_

Meanwhile outside, people looked out of their windows in surprise as the storm suddenly stopped.

**"Thalia!" Jason rushed forward, but Piper and Leo pulled him back. The ground around Thalia's statue was already webbed with ice. Leo feared if** **Jason touched her, he might freeze too.**

"Ignore me, just focus on the cage." she hissed. "You only have minutes."

**"Who did this?" Jason yelled. His body crackled with electricity. "I'll kill you myself!"**

"With your plank of wood? Be reasonable! Don't let your anger cloud your judgement." Thalia warned.

**From somewhere behind the monsters, Leo heard a girl's laughter, clear and cold.** **She stepped out of the mist in her snowy white dress, a silver crown atop her long black hair. She regarded them with those deep brown eyes Leo had thought were so beautiful in Quebec.**

"Really? _She's_ back too?" Thalia growled. "Can this chapter get any better?"

**" _Bonsoir, mes amis_ ," said Khione, the goddess of snow. She gave Leo a frosty smile. "Alas, son of Hephaestus, you say you need time? I'm afraid time is one tool you do not have."**

"Khione?" Percy frowned. "I guess it's not too shocking, Boreas probably sent her here."

"If she's here, where are the other Boreads?" Lacy nervously asked.

"They're not here." Leo corrected, now doodling in his notepad. "I don't even think Boreas knows she's here. Khione's doing this solo."

Eyes widened in surprise.

"Lemme guess. Gaia promised her power?" Nico said.

"Gaia promises everyone power, or the chance not to die." Leo added as an afterthought.

"Finished." Mitchell said. 

"I'll read next." Katie volunteered, taking the book.

" **Jason XLIX** ,"

_Jason, don't do anything stupid._ Thalia warned.


	50. Jason XLIX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3.Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" **Jason XLIX** ," Katie read.

Leo absentmindedly twirled the pen in his hand.

**After the fight on Mount Diablo, Jason didn't think he could ever feel more afraid or devastated.**

**Now his sister was frozen at his feet.**

Annabeth winced.

The hunters still looked horrified by the news.

"I'm just frozen." Thalia reminded them. "I'm still alive."

"She won't get away with this." Artemis swore. _How dare she do this to my hunters! _

**He was surrounded by monsters. He'd broken his golden sword and replaced it with a piece of wood.**

Thalia frowned. "You really need to find a better weapon... Maybe Leo can lend him another hammer?"

**He had** **approximately five minutes until the king of the giants busted out and destroyed them.**

The readers winced.

"Only five minutes..." Hera muttered, face paling. "They haven't even touched the cage yet."

**Jason had already pulled his biggest ace, calling down Zeus's** **lightning when he'd fought Enceladus, and he doubted he'd have the strength or the cooperation from above to do it again. Which meant his only assets** **were one whiny imprisoned goddess,**

Hera scowled. "A _what?"_

"Accurate." Hephaestus commented.

**one sort-of girlfriend with a dagger,**

"Only 'sort-of'," Aphrodite couldn't help but grin.

**and Leo, who apparently thought he could defeat the armies of darkness with** **breath mints.**

"I was nervous!" Leo defended as the Stolls snickered.

**On top of all this, Jason's worst memories were flooding back. He knew for certain he'd done many dangerous things in his life, but he'd never been** **closer to death than he was right now.**

Thalia shuddered. "Don't say that, you'll jinx yourself."

Leo tossed the pen up into the air before catching.

**..."What've you done?" Jason demanded.**

**"Oh, so many things," the snow goddess purred. "Your sister's not dead, if that's what you mean. She and her Hunters will make fine toys for our** **wolves.**

"What?!" Artemis exclaimed.

**I thought we'd defrost them one at a time and hunt them down for amusement. Let them be the prey for once."**

_"She. Wouldn't. Dare_." the goddess of the moon growled. 

The Hunters glared at the book as if it were Khione herself.

**The wolves snarled appreciatively.**

**"Yes, my dears." Khione kept her eyes on Jason. "Your sister almost killed their king, you know.**

"This time, I won't miss." Thalia swore, eyes narrowed in determination.

**Lycaon's off in a cave somewhere, no doubt licking** **his wounds, but his minions have joined us to take revenge for their soon king, Porphyrion ,will arise, and we shall rule the world."**

"If the giants don't backstab you in the end." Annabeth said under her breath.

**"Traitor!" Hera shouted. "You meddlesome, D-list goddess! You aren't worthy to pour my wine, much less rule the world."**

For once, everyone agreed with her.

"You tell her, Hera!" Apollo chuckled.

**Khione sighed. "Tiresome as ever, Queen Hera. I've been wanting to shut you up for millennia."**

**Khione waved her hand, and ice encased the prison, sealing in the spaces between the earthen tendrils.**

Hera gnashed her teeth together after hearing the minor goddess' disrespect. _Just wait until I get out of that cage! She'll be sorry!_

**"That's better," the snow goddess said. "Now, demigods, about your death—"**

**"You're the one who tricked Hera into coming here," Jason said. "You gave Zeus the idea of closing Olympus."**

Annabeth blinked. "That was her? So she was also the one who convinced Aeolus to issue an order to kill demigods."

"What kind of ice powers are those?" Connor furrowed his eyebrows.

"She's a goddess, she must have more abilities beyond making snowstorms." Chris reminded.

**The wolves snarled, and the storm spirits whinnied, ready to attack, but Khione held up her hand. "Patience, my loves. If he wants to talk, what** **matter? The sun is setting, and time is on our side.**

"Unfortunately, she's right. They need to get me out of that cage now." Hera said, crossing her arms.

"But what about the monsters? Who's going to take care of them while Leo and Piper open the cage?" Lacy asked, grimacing.

Thalia had a sinking feeling she knew who it would be.

**Of course, Jason Grace. Like snow, my voice is quiet and gentle, and very cold. It's easy for me to** **whisper to the other gods, especially when I am only confirming their own deepest fears. I also whispered in Aeolus's ear that he should issue an order to** **kill demigods. It is a small service for Gaea, but I'm sure I will be well rewarded when her sons the giants come to power."**

**"You could've killed us in Quebec," Jason said. "Why let us live?"**

"She did try to turn Jason and Piper into ice statues..." Percy remembered. "Maybe she didn't try as hard because she thought Piper would betray Jason and Leo."

**... [Khione] "Messy business, killing you in my father's house, especially when he insists on meeting all visitors. I did _try_ , you ** **remember. It would've been lovely if he'd agreed to turn you to ice. But once he'd given you guarantee of safe passage, I couldn't openly disobey him. My** **father is an old fool. He lives in fear of Zeus and Aeolus, but he's still powerful.**

"He's strong in his domain, but we're much more powerful than he'll ever be. You're the fool to underestimate us." Zeus said sternly.

**Soon enough, when my new masters have awakened, I will depose** **Boreas and take the throne of the North Wind, but not just yet. Besides, my father did have a point. Your quest was suicidal. I fully expected you to fail."**

" _Gee thanks_ ," Leo said sarcastically. "It's always nice to hear how so many people believed we'd beat the odds..."

"It's nothing personal, it's just that well... Greeks and Romans usually k...er... don't work well together." Apollo tried to explain.

**"And to help us with that," Leo said, "you knocked our dragon out of the sky over Detroit. Those frozen wires in his head—that was your fault. You're** **gonna pay for that."**

Jake, Nyssa, and Hephaestus scowled.

**"You're also the one who kept Enceladus informed about us," Piper added. "We've been plagued by snowstorms the whole trip."**

**"Yes, I feel so close to all of you now!" Khione said. "Once you made it past Omaha, I decided to asked Lycaon to track you down so Jason could die** **here, at the Wolf House."** **Khione smiled at him.**

"Damn, is there anything she didn't do?" Hermes said. "She practically did all of the giants' dirty work. They barely lifted a finger."

"She must really want to overthrow Boreas." Percy said.

"Or be that easy to manipulate." Athena corrected. "She's as much of a minion as the Earthborn."

**"You see, Jason, your blood spilled on this sacred ground will taint it for generations. Your demigod** **brethren will be outraged, especially when they find the bodies of these two from Camp Half-Blood. They'll believe the Greeks have conspired with** **giants. It will be ... delicious."**

Eyes widened.

The gods exchanged uneasy looks.

"This could end badly in so many different ways..." Nico said, worst case scenarios flashed in his head.

"No kidding. It wouldn't have been that hard to set off a second Civil War either." Leo said with a grimace.

**Piper and Leo didn't seem to understand what she was saying.**

"Still?" Chris asked with a hint of exasperation. 

"Sorry, we were still new to this whole 'demigod' thing." Leo said, shading over a picture of a skateboard.

"You should at least have an idea on what they're talking about." Drew said. "What? Did you think it was just Greeks against Greeks?"

"I knew they were talking about a different group of demigods, I just didn't knew how different the demigods were." Leo told her.

**But Jason knew. His memories were returning enough for him to realize how** **dangerously effective Khione's plan could be.**

"We really would tear each other apart." Annabeth muttered under her breath. _And if the Romans decided to attack us, we would have no way of knowing._

**"It's so easy!" said Khione. "As I told you, I only encourage what you would do anyway."**

**"But why?" Piper spread her hands. "Khione, you'll tear the world apart. The giants will destroy everything. You don't want that. Call off your monsters."**

Leo drew a smiley face on the leg of his chair.

**Khione hesitated, then laughed. "Your persuasive powers are improving, girl. But I am a goddess. You can't charmspeak me.**

"So are we going to ignore your hesitation or..." Aphrodite rolled her eyes. _Athena was right, she is easy to manipulate. I bet if Piper had more practice, she'd be under her control in no time._

**We wind gods are** **creatures of chaos! I'll overthrow Aeolus and let the storms run free.**

"But isn't Aeolus working for Gaea too? How can both people be promised power over the same domain?" Percy asked.

"They're probably planning on turning against her." Thalia said.

Percy made a face. "You'd think they'd pick Aeolus over Khione?"

"Why not?" Athena shrugged. "She's been useful so far, but Aeolus has control over all four winds, Boreas and his ice powers included. Compared to her, he's much more valuable."

"And entertaining!" Apollo cheerfully added.  

**If we destroy the mortal world, all the better! They never honored me, even in Greek** **times.**

"It's not really their fault." Hestia defended. "It rarely ever snowed in Greece so the most mortals had no need to worship you."

**Humans and their talk of global warming. Pah! I'll cool them down quickly enough. When we retake the ancient places, I will cover the Acropolis in** **snow."**

"They're what?" Annabeth gasped.

The gods went rigid.

" _Fates._ " Poseidon breathed.

"Um..." Travis shifted uncomfortably. "Is that bad?"

**"The ancient places." Leo's eyes widened. "That's what Enceladus meant about 'destroy the roots of the gods'. He meant Greece."**

"This isn't like Kronos trying to destroy the thrones in New York." Annabeth told the other demigods. "While that would weaken the gods to the point that the Titans could overtake them, it wouldn't completely wipe them out of existence the way destroying the Mount Olympus in Greece would. That's their strongest connection to Earth and their most vulnerable compared to here."

"So it's worse than what we've ever dealt with." Travis sighed, crossing his arms. " _Awesome._ "

"Just when we thought it was all over, we have to do this." Percy sighed. _My mom's going to freak when she hears all this..._

"And we'll all have to go? Including the Romans?" Jake guessed, brushing his hair back. " _Holy Hephaestus..._ Transportation that big would take at least a year to build, and that's if we stay on schedule."

"It sucks that we got to be fighting giants, but at least we get to go to Greece." Connor said, trying to be upbeat. "We'll get to see all kinds of cool sights and fight Greek monsters, just like real Greek heroes!"

A few people perked up at this but Annabeth remained grim.

"One problem, Greece is home of the most powerful and dangerous monsters in Greek mythology. And if the Doors of Death are still open when we get there..." she trailed off, not wanting to finish her own sentence.

"Oh." Connor's shoulders slumped. _So much for looking on the bright side, this trip is going to suck._

"Not all of you are going on to Greece." Athena told them. "This quest is for the Seven of the Great Prophecy. Too many demigods could jeopardize their success."

Despite her explanation, Athena's statement was met with complaints almost instantaneously.

"But if we don't go, how are we supposed to help?" Chris said.

"We can't just let seven people handle something like this by themselves!" Katie exclaimed. 

"There has to be _something_ we can do!" Will agreed.

 "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll think of something. Last thing I'd want to do is hog all the fun." Leo said, rocking his chair back.

"We might not even need help since we could possibly prevent the war from ever happening." Hestia reminded everyone.

_Somehow I don't think that's possible_. Leo thought. Some of the others looked skeptical as well, but chose not to argue with the quiet goddess. 

**"You could join me, son of Hephaestus," Khione said.** Katie blinked in surprise. The readers perked up at that.  **"I know you find me beautiful.** **It would be enough for my plan if these other two were to die. Reject that ridiculous destiny the Fates have given you. Live and be my champion, instead. Your skills would be quite useful."**

The room was silent.

Before everyone in the room started laughing, even Hades was smiling at the goddess's stupidity.

"Does she think you're brain dead or something?!" Travis said in between laughter. "Why would she do the whole 'join the dark side' thing _after_ admitting she tried to kill you and your friends!"

"And messed with Festus!" Jake added. "She clearly wasn't thinking this through."

"She probably came up with that one the spot!" Leo added, still laughing. "Seriously, who does that?!"

"An idiot and easy to manipulate, she's definitely a Boread..." Athena observed. _No wonder why she was doing most of the giants legwork._

" _Oh_ yeah! That has 'Boread' written all over it!" Hermes agreed.

After everyone was calm enough, Katie kept reading.

**Leo looked stunned. He glanced behind him, like Khione might be talking to somebody else.** Katie giggled. **For a second Jason was worried.**

Leo raised his eyebrows. "Really, after hearing all that, he still thought I would do it? Com'on Jay, have more faith in me!"

**He figured Leo didn't** **have beautiful goddesses make him offers like this every day.**

" _Ppffftt! Puh-lease!_ Let's be honest with each other, there'll be other goddesses." Leo said, smiling widely. "Nobody, not even an immortal, can resist the Valdez charm!"

" _Gee,_ thanks Khione, now we have to deal with Leo's overinflated ego." Nico playfully rolled his eyes.

"Let's not go overboard." Katie teased.

**Then Leo laughed so hard, he doubled over. "Yeah, join you. Right. Until you get bored of me and turn me into a Leosicle? Lady, nobody messes with** **my dragon and gets away with it. I can't believe I thought you were hot."**

"A mistake I won't make again." Leo swore.

**Khione's face turned red. "Hot? You dare insult me? I am cold, Leo Valdez. Very, very cold."**

"Does she know slang?" Hestia asked, rolling her eyes. _Even I knew what that meant..._

"You saw how outdated her brother was dressed, what do you think?" Aphrodite giggled. 

**She shot a blast of wintry sleet at the demigods,**

The readers became more serious at that.

"That's probably how we got turned into ice statues." Thalia guessed. She and the other hunters grimaced.

**but Leo held up his hand. A wall of fire roared to life in front of them, and the snow dissolved in a** **steamy cloud.**

Hephaestus beamed with pride while the others stared at Leo in shock.

" _Duuuuddddeee_ , that was _awesome!_ " Travis exclaimed, breaking the stunned silence. "You just melted that snow like it was nothing!"

"Well I _am_ the fire guy." Leo said with a small grin. Despite his best effort to keep up a boastful appearance, he found himself shifting uncomfortably the stares of awe and... was that a little bit of fear or was he just being paranoid?

He shrugged lamely. "It's what I do."

**Leo grinned. "See, lady, that's what happens to snow in Texas. It—freaking—melts."**

"...What?" Percy asked.

" _Yeah,_ don't say that next time." Connor cringed. 

"It sounded good in my head." Leo responded, cringing as well. _I've **got** to work on my one-liners..._

**Khione hissed. "Enough of this. Hera is failing. Porphyrion is rising. Kill the demigods. Let them be our king's first meal!"**

**Jason hefted his icy wooden plank—a stupid weapon to die fighting with—**

"Yeah, so do us both a favor and don't die." Thalia practically ordered.

**a** **nd the monsters charged.**

"That's the end of the chapter." Katie finished. "Who wants to read next?"

Nico shrugged. "I guess I'll do it."

Taking the book, he sat back down and began to read.

" **Jason L** ,"


	51. Jason L

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3.Leo's from the timeline inbetween HoH and BoO.

" **Jason L** ," Nico read.

 **A wolf launched itself at Jason. He stepped back and swung his scrap wood into the beast's snout with a satisfying crack. Maybe only silver could kill it,** **but a good old-fashioned board could still give it a Tylenol headache.**

Apollo, Hermes, the Stolls, and Leo snickered.

 **He turned toward the sound of hooves and saw a storm spirit horse bearing down on him...Just before** **the spirit could trample him, Jason launched himself into the air, grabbed the horse's smoky neck, and pirouetted onto its back.** **The storm spirit reared.**

"Aren't the storm spirits made out of vapor?" Travis asked.

"Yes, but they can turn solid if they want to. I don't know why it hasn't tried to turn into mist yet." Annabeth said.

"Probably surprised that Jason jumped on him like that..." Thalia grumbled. "Is this just a thing now? Whenever he doesn't have a weapon, is he just going to tackle them now?" _Gods I hope not. Jay, please find a better strategy._

**It tried to shake Jason, then tried to dissolve into mist to lose him; but somehow Jason stayed on.**

"Must be a child of Zeus ability." Annabeth said before correcting herself. "Er... I mean child of Jupiter..."

Zeus winced at the pain in his head.

 **He willed the horse to** **remain in solid form, and the horse seemed unable to refuse. Jason could feel it fighting against him. He could sense its raging thoughts—complete** **chaos straining to break free.**

"Storm spirits are usually too uncontrollable to tame." Annabeth commented. "I'm surprised this one is obeying him."

 **It took all Jason's willpower to impose his own wishes and bring the horse under control. He thought about Aeolus,** **overseeing thousands and thousands of spirits like this, some much worse. No wonder the Master of the Winds had gone a little mad after centuries of** **that pressure.**

"Just a little?" Thalia said incredulously. "Are we thinking about the same person?"

"Aeolus went beyond 'a little mad' a long time ago." Apollo said.

**But Jason had only one spirit to master, and he had to win.**

**...The horse bucked, but Jason held fast...its hooves causing miniature thunderstorms —tempests—whenever they touched the ground.**

**"Tempest?" Jason said. "Is that your name?"**

**The horse spirit shook its mane, evidently pleased to be recognized.**

"It has a name?" Katie said in surprise.

Travis rolled his eyes. "Everything has a name, Katie. Construction equipment included." he said as if the answer was obvious.

The daughter of Demeter rolled her eyes at that.

**"Fine," Jason said. "Now, let's fight."**

**He charged into battle, swinging his icy piece of wood, knocking aside wolves and plunging straight through other venti. Tempest was a strong spirit,** **and every time he plowed through one of his brethren, he discharged so much electricity, the other spirit vaporized into a harmless cloud of mist.**

 _Good, if he was just using that plank of wood. I don't know what I'd do._ Thalia sighed.

**...Piper was surrounded by Earthborn, but she seemed to be holding her own. She was so impressive-looking as she fought, almost glowing with beauty, that the Earthborn stared at her in awe, forgetting that they were supposed to kill her.**

"Idiots!" Ares chuckled, wrapping his arm around Aphrodite. Said goddess was practically glowing with pride.

 _She's growing so fast._ She felt a slight pang of sadness, but she didn't let it ruin her overall happiness.

 **They'd lower their clubs and watch dumbfounded as she smiled and charged them. They'd smile back—until she sliced them apart with her dagger, and** **they melted into mounds of mud.**

"And to think, in the beginning of the quest she had no idea how to use her dagger." Aphrodite smiled. _Guess it won't be used as 'just a mirror' anymore._

**Leo had taken on Khione herself.**

The readers hesitated at this. Melting a blast of snow was one thing, but battling a goddess, no matter how minor, was another thing entirely.

"You sure about that?" Percy asked. "Fighting a god isn't like fighting a monster."

"I got it." Leo assured. He tapped his foot. _Honestly opening the cage was harder than fighting Khione._

 **...She kept summoning ice** **daggers to throw at him, blasts of winter air, tornadoes of snow.**

The demigods winced.

 **Leo burned through all of it. His whole body flickered with red tongues of flame like he'd** **been doused with gasoline. He advanced on the goddess, using two silver-tipped ball-peen hammers to smash any monsters that got in his way.**

"Wow." Percy blinked at the son of Hephaestus. "I didn't realize how strong you were. I didn't have it nearly as easy when I was fighting Ares or Hades and his army."

Leo shrugged. "It's just frozen water." _We'll see how really strong I am when I deal with Gaea..._

His face became more somber at that. The others didn't notice his change in mood as they were focused on what Percy said. 

"A fight with Hades?" Chris repeated. _When did that happen?_

Instead of explaining, Hades rolled his eyes

"Don't compare us to her, Khione is powerful but she is hardly a match for two Olympians." he told the boy.

"Yeah," Ares said. "You're lucky we weren't trying to kill you, punk."

Poseidon scowled at Ares before glaring at Hades.

"What's this about a fight and an army?" he demanded.

Percy winced. " _Dad_ , just forget about it. It's over."

"You can't expect me to just ignore this!" his father protested. "I want to know what you meant about fighting Hades and an army!"

"Brother please..." Hades felt a headache starting.

As Poseidon continued demanding for answers, Athena was deep in thought.

 _Even if she isn't as powerful as Hades or Ares, to defeat a goddess is still an incredible feat. Especially from someone who isn't a child of the Big Three... If he can do that without any real practice, is it possible that.._ Athena thought back to the line in the prophecy. _To storm or fire the world must fall._

"-and that's what happened." Percy finished. He gave up trying to keep his battle with Hades a secret and decided to just tell his father the truth. They'd never finish the chapter with the way he kept insisting for the details.

Poseidon continued glaring at Hades the whole way through.

"Let me see if I get this straight," Poseidon growled. "You used your son to lure Percy into a trap. Held him prisoner. And when he escapes, you came up with the brilliant plan to fight him with _an entire army?! Am I missing anything else?!"_

"Yeah, you're missing the fact that I'm still alive and everything turned out alright." Percy said. Poseidon still looked like he wanted to run Hades through with his trident, Percy sighed. " _Com'on Dad_ , let's just move on..."

Poseidon continued seething in anger, but he spat out a "Fine!"

"But know this, Hades, if I ever hear another story like this again, you'll regret it." the god of the sea threatened.

Hades didn't look phased. _Poseidon was always so overdramatic..._ "I'll be sure it doesn't happen again, brother."

**Jason realized that Leo was the only reason they were still alive.**

"Really?" Leo frowned. Taking out a small paper clip from his pocket, he began to straighten it.

 **His fiery aura was heating up the whole courtyard, countering Khione's winter** **magic...Wherever Leo went, ice melted off the stones. Even Thalia started to defrost a** **little when Leo stepped near her.**

Thalia looked relieved to hear this.

**Khione slowly backed away. Her expression went from enraged to shocked to slightly panicked as Leo got closer.**

**Jason was running out of enemies...Piper stabbed the last** **Earthborn, who toppled to the ground in a pile of sludge. Jason rode Tempest through the last ventus, breaking it into vapor. Then he wheeled around** **and saw Leo bearing down on the goddess of snow.**

**"You're too late," Khione snarled.**

The readers paled.

"She's just saying that to scare them, right?" Lacy asked. Nobody answered, she pressed. "They still have time, right?"

"They have too," Katie said. "Wouldn't the book have already mentioned a giant raising from the spire?"

 **"He's awake! And don't think you've won anything here, demigods. Hera's plan will never work.** **You'll be at each** **other's throats before you can ever stop us."**

 _For once, she's right._ Athena thought grimly.

**Leo set his hammers ablaze and threw them at the goddess, but she turned into snow—a white powdery image of herself...**

**Piper was breathing hard, but she smiled up at Jason. "Nice horse."**

**Tempest reared on his hind legs, arcing electricity across his hooves. A complete show-off.**

"I think all horses are like that." Percy said, thinking about Blackjack.

Poseidon couldn't help but chuckle at that. "You may be right, son."

 **Then Jason heard a cracking sound behind him. The melting ice on Hera's cage sloughed off in a curtain of slush, and the goddess called, "Oh,** **don't mind me! Just the queen of the heavens, dying over here!"**

"It's not like they could've just worked on freeing you from while Khione and monsters trying to kill them." Annabeth grumbled.

**...The three demigods jumped into the pool and ran to the spire.**

**Leo frowned. "Uh, Tía Callida, are you getting shorter?"**

Hera smacked her forehead. "No, you fool! The earth is claiming me! You need to free me now!"

**..."On it," Leo said. "Piper, I need your help. Talk to the cage."**

"Talk to the cage?" Travis nervously chuckled. "What is she going to do? Talk it to sleep? Sing it a lullaby?"

"Something like that." Leo said, bending the paperclip into a zigzag. He snorted at the looks of disbelief. "Com'on guys! If anybody could convince a cage to go to sleep, it'd be Piper."

"Well, he's got a point there!" Aphrodite smiled.

"Maybe, but that still doesn't make it sound any less weirder." Will blinked.

**"What?" she said.**

"Yeah, that'd be my reaction too." Katie said.

**"Talk to it. Use everything you've got. Convince Gaea to sleep. Lull her into a daze. Just slow her down, try to get the tendrils to loosen while I—"**

"It could work," Annabeth said. "It goes along with the prophecy:  _The forge and dove shall break the cage._ "

"Exactly!" Leo agreed.

"How'd you even come up with that idea?" Percy frowned. "What made you look at that cage and think: _Oh yeah, Piper can talk to it!"_

"I mean... the cage might look like an inanimate object, but it's still connected to Gaia. So I thought ' _if  it's a part of Gaea_ _, maybe she would hear Piper speak to her._ " Leo shrugged. "I basically guessed."

**"Right!" Piper cleared her throat and said, "Hey, Gaea. Nice night, huh? Boy, I'm tired. How about you? Ready for some sleep?"**

"This is so weird..." Connor said.

**...It seemed to have some effect on the cage.**

"But it still worked." Leo grinned, bending the paperclip in half.

 **The mud was rising more slowly. The tendrils seemed to soften just a little—becoming more like tree root than rock. Leo pulled a circular saw out of his tool belt...** **Then Leo looked at the cord and grunted in frustration. "I** **don't have anywhere to plug it in!"**

"Seriously?" Travis complained.

"Got anything else?" Will frowned.

"Nah, we're good!" Leo said, earning confused looks.

**The spirit horse Tempest jumped into the pit and whinnied.**

**"Really?" Jason asked.**

"He can speak to the horse?" Percy said, looking confused.

"Well, it _is_ a wind spirit." Nico told him before he continued reading.

**Tempest dipped his head and trotted over to Leo. Leo looked dubious, but he held up the plug, and a breeze whisked it into the horse's flank.**

**Lighting sparked, connecting with the prongs of the plug, and the circular saw whirred to life.**

Will blinked. "Nevermind, I guess." 

"Can this get any weirder?" Chris asked.

"Sounds like my kind of horse." Hephaestus grinned.

**"Sweet!" Leo grinned. "Your horse comes with AC outlets!"**

**Their good mood didn't last long. On the other side of the pool, the giant's spire crumbled with a sound like a tree snapping in half.**

The readers went ridged.

"Oh my gods!" Lacy squeaked.

Hera's face visibly paled, her hands trembled. _They're too late._

 **Its outer sheath of** **tendrils exploded from the top down, raining stone and wood shards as the giant shook himself free and climbed out of the earth.**

"Now what?!" Percy exclaimed. 

"It might be too late to stop Porphyrion from rising, but they still have a chance to save Hera!" Annabeth said quickly. _At least we're not completely screwed._

"Okay, but what about the giant?" Mitchell asked nervously.

"Free me and I'll take care of him." Hera swore, eyes narrowing.

"And before that?" Mitchell said. Nobody answered him.

**Jason hadn't thought anything could be scarier than Enceladus.**

**He was wrong.**

**Porphyrion was even taller, and even more ripped.** **He didn't radiate heat, or show any signs of breathing fire,**

"Well that's good." Chris muttered. "I don't think we can handle another fire-breathing giant..."

**but there was something more terrible about him—a kind of strength, even magnetism, as if the giant were so huge and dense he had his own gravitational field.**

Some of the demigods trembled.

 **Like Enceladus, the giant king was humanoid from the waist up, clad in bronze armor, and from the waist down he had scaly dragon's legs; but his** **skin was the color of lima beans. His hair was green as summer leaves, braided in long locks and decorated with weapons—daggers, axes, and full size swords, some of them bent and bloody—maybe trophies taken from demigods eons before.** **When the giant opened his eyes, they were blank** **white, like polished marble. He took a deep breath.** **  
**

**"Alive!" he bellowed. "Praise to Gaea!"**

**Jason made a heroic little whimpering sound he hoped his friends couldn't hear.**

"Oh, that's what that was." Leo said, straightening the paper clip again. "I thought he was cursing in Latin or something." _Nice to know_ _I wasn't the only one heroically whimpering._

 **He was very sure no demigod could solo this guy. Porphyrion could** **lift mountains. He could crush Jason with one finger.**

"But you're still going to fight him, aren't you?" Thalia grimaced. "Jason, don't do this. You're literally going to fight this guy with a piece of wood."

"He doesn't have a choice." Annabeth told her. "If Porphyrion catches Piper and Leo trying to free Hera, they're chances of stopping him are over."

"But Jason can't beat him without a god!" Thalia stressed.

"He doesn't have to fight." the daughter of Athena tried to soothe. "He could stall time by talking to him."

Thalia could only hope. _Don't do anything stupid, Jay._

**"Leo," Jason said.**

**"Huh?" Leo's mouth was wide open. Even Piper seemed dazed.**

**"You guys keep working," Jason said. "Get Hera free!"**

"Quickly!" Hera demanded.

**"What are you going to do?" Piper asked. "You can't seriously—"**

**"Entertain a giant?" Jason said. "I've got no choice."**

**"Excellent!" the giant roared as Jason approached. "An appetizer! Who are you—Hermes? Ares?"**

**Porphyrion threw back his head and laughed. "Outstanding!" He looked up at the cloudy night sky. "So, Zeus, you sacrifice a son to me? The gesture** **is appreciated, but it will not save you."**

Zeus gritted his teeth but remained silent.

**The sky didn't even rumble. No help from above. Jason was on his own.**

_Of course._ Thalia scowled. _Where is he when you actually need him?_

**...It was time to act a whole lot more confident than he felt.**

**"If you knew who I was," Jason yelled up at the giant, "you'd be worried about me, not my father. I hope you enjoyed your two and a half minutes of rebirth, giant, because I'm going to send you right back to Tartarus."**

Hermes raised an eyebrow at this. "Not bad, that should get his attention."

**...[Porphryion] "So ... we'll start by boasting, will we? Just like old times! Very well, demigod. I am Porphryion, king of the giants, son of Gaea. In olden times, I rose from Tatarus, the abyss of my father, to challenge the gods. To start the war, I stole Zeus's queen." He grinned at the goddess's cage. "Hello, Hera."**

Hera scowled.

**"My husband destroyed you once, monster!" Hera said. "He'll do it again!"**

**"But he didn't, my dear! Zeus wasn't powerful enough to kill me. He had to rely on a puny demigod to help, and even then, we almost won. This time,** **we will complete what we started. Gaea is waking. She has provisioned us with many fine servants. Our armies will shake the earth—and we will destroy** **you at the roots."**

**"You wouldn't dare," Hera said, but she was weakening.**

The goddess of marriage grimaced.

 **Piper kept whispering to the cage, and Leo kept sawing,** **but the earth was still rising inside Hera's prison, covering her up to her waist.**

"Hurry up... How long are you going to take?" Hera muttered urgently under her breath.

 **"Oh, yes," the giant said. "The Titans sought to attack your new home in New York. Bold, but ineffective. Gaea is wiser and more patient. And we, her** **greatest children, are much, much stronger than Kronos. We know how to kill you Olympians once and for all. You must be dug up completely like rotten** **trees—your eldest roots torn out and burned."** **  
**

**The giant frowned at Piper and Leo, as if he'd just noticed them working at the cage.**

The readers stiffened.

 **Jason stepped forward and yelled to get back Porphyrion's** **attention.**

**"You said a demigod killed you," he shouted. "How, if we're so puny?"**

**"Ha! You think I would explain it to you? I was created to be Zeus's replacement, born to destroy the lord of the sky. I shall take his throne. I shall take** **his wife—or, if she will not have me, I will let the earth consume her life force.**

Hera shuddered.

**What you see before you, child, is only my weakened form.**

" _That's_ his weakened form?" Chris said in a small voice. "How much more stronger can he get?!"

 **I will grow** **stronger by the hour, until I am invincible.**

The demigods paled.

"Are all the giants like this?" Percy asked, scared of the answer.

**But I am already quite capable of smashing you to a grease spot!"**

**He rose to his full height and held out his hand. A twenty-foot spear shot from the earth.**

"Enceladus isn't even half that height." Will gulped.

 **He grasped it, then stomped the ground with his dragon's** **feet. The ruins around the courtyard, monsters started to regather—storm spirits, wolves, and Earthborn, all answering the giant king's call.**

"After all that fighting, they just come back again like nothing happened..." Lacy's eyes widened. "What if Khione shows up again?"

" _Gods_ , I hope not." Annabeth said. "Leo's too busy to fight her a second time."

"And Jason's already got enough on his plate." Thalia said, looking more anxious with each passing description. _Just keep bragging Jason. It's only a matter of time before Leo and Piper finish._

 **...[Porphyrion] "So, child of Zeus! I** **have finished my boasting. Now it's your turn. What were you saying about destroying me?"**

"Just joking?" Travis said lamely.

 **Jason looked at the ring of monsters, waiting impatiently for their master's order to tear them to shreds. Leo's circular saw kept whirring, and Piper** **kept talking, but it seemed hopeless. Hera's cage was almost completely filled with earth.**

"Wow, Jay." Leo muttered. "Good to know you didn't lose hope."

He bent the paperclip into a triangle.

Hera tightly clasped her hands together.

 **"I'm the son of Jupiter!" he shouted, and just for effect, he summoned the winds, rising a few feet off the ground. "I'm a child of Rome, consul to** **demigods, praetor of the First Legion."...**

"Consul? Praetor of the First Legion?" Annabeth repeated, mulling over his words.

"Do you know what he's talking about?" Percy asked.

"I don't know what he means by 'praetor of First Legion', but I know 'consul'." the daughter of Athena said. She really wished she read more about Ancient Rome. "Consuls are two annually elected chiefs magistrates who rule together." 

"So he really is the leader of their camp." the son of Poseidon summed up.

"Him and one other person." Annabeth corrected. "Maybe we should speak to them first when we get you. It'd make the alliance easier if we speak to the leader."

"We could do it earlier than that." Nyssa told her. "How about we send a video scroll?"

"Yeah," Jake jumped in." We'll include a virtual tour of Camp Half-Blood. It'll help humanize us a bit."

The demigods cheered up at that.

"That'll be awesome!" Mitchell beamed. "You have to show them the Climbing Wall! They'll lose their minds when they see it!"

"And the beach during a sunset!" Katie added. 

"You should show when everyone's all gathered around the campfire." Hestia smiled, glad to have the distraction. She really needed a break from hearing about Porphyrion rising. "That's my favorite time at camp."

Leo tore a page out of his notepad and wrote down the suggestions they were listing off.

"This could actually work." the son of Hephaestus remarked. He didn't even think about this when sending a video scroll to New Rome, but it seems obvious now that he thought about it. They wanted to be their allies, what better way to convince them than to let them see what kind of people the Greeks were? Who knows? The scroll might even help jog Percy's memories when he goes to the Roman Camp.

By the time they ran out of ideas, the room felt so lighthearted and warm, Nico hated that he had to keep reading.

"Uh... do you guys want to keep reading or..." he trailed off, glancing up at them and down at the book.

A few people looked reluctant to keep going (Nico couldn't blame them) but everyone nodded.

Leo neatly folded the page and handed it to Jake.

**He held out his arms, showing the tattoo of the eagle and SPQR, and to his surprise the giant seemed to recognize it.**

**For a moment, Porphyrion actually looked uneasy.**

"So far so good." Annabeth said.

 **"I slew the Trojan sea monster," Jason continued. "I toppled the black throne of Kronos, and destroyed the Titan Krios with my own hands. And now** **I'm going to destroy you, Porphyrion, and feed you to your own wolves."**

The readers blinked.

"Uh... is he good?" Will asked.

"I guess he got carried away." Leo said.

**"Wow, dude," Leo muttered. "You been eating red meat?"**

**Jason launched himself at the giant, determined to tear him apart.**

_I think Leo was on to something with that 'red meat' thing._ Nico thought, having the same look of disbelief as the other readers.

"Stop doing that!" Thalia snapped. "You're going to get yourself killed!"

**The idea of fighting a forty-foot-tall immortal bare handed was so ridiculous, even the giant seemed surprised.**

"This is the third time this happened too." the daughter of Zeus grumbled.

**...Jason landed on the giant's scaly reptilian knee and climbed up the giant's arm before Porphyrion even realized what had happened.**

"I can't believe he's actually doing this." Thalia said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "As soon as he comes to camp, we're giving him a better weapon. We can’t let this happen again."

 **...Jason reached his shoulders and ripped a sword out of the giant's weapon-filled braids. He yelled, "For Rome!"** **and drove the sword into the** **nearest convenient target—the giant's massive ear.**

 **Lightning streaked out of the sky and blasted the sword, throwing Jason free. He rolled when he hit the ground. When he looked up, the giant was** **staggering...The sword had splintered in his ear. Golden ichor ran down his** **jaw. The other weapons were sparking and smoldering in his braids.**

 **Porphyrion almost fell. The circle of monsters let out a collective growl and moved forward—wolves and ogres fixing their eyes on Jason.** **  
**

**"No!" Porphyrion yelled. He regained his balance and glared at the demigod. "I will kill him myself."**

Thalia wasn't sure if she should feel relieved or even more worried.

 **... [Porphyrion]** **"You want to play with lightning, boy? You forget. I am the bane of Zeus. I was created to destroy your father, which means I know exactly what will kill _you_."**

The readers stiffened.

" _Gods,_ " Thalia whispered, face paling.

**Something in Porphyrion's voice told Jason he wasn't bluffing.**

**Jason and his friends had had a good run. The three of them had done amazing things. Yeah, even heroic things. But as the giant raised his spear,** **Jason knew there was no way he could deflect this strike.**

**This was the end.**

"You're going to be fine... Stop saying that." Thalia muttered.

**"Got it!" Leo yelled.**

**"Sleep!" Piper said, so forcefully, the nearest wolves fell to the ground and began snoring.**

**The stone and wood cage crumbled. Leo had sawed through the base of the thickest tendril and apparently cut off the cage's connection to Gaea.**

The readers sighed in relief.

"Finally!" Hera said, straightening in her throne. _Now it's time to make them pay._

"You're welcome, by the way..." Leo rolled his eyes.

**The tendrils turned to dust. The mud around Hera disintegrated. The goddess grew in size, glowing with power.**

**"Yes!" the goddess said. She threw off her black robes to reveal a white gown, her arms bedecked with golden jewelry. Her face was both terrible** **and beautiful, and a golden crown glowed in her long black hair. "Now I shall have my revenge!"**

"Uh... That's not why they saved you. Maybe you should calm down." Chris said nervously.

"After what they've done to me? No, they deserve their punishment!" Hera said, smiling smugly. _If only Khione were still here..._

 **The giant Porphyrion backed away. He said nothing, but he gave Jason one last look of hatred. His message was clear: _Another time_. Then he ** **slammed his spear against the earth, and the giant disappeared into the ground like he'd dropped down a chute.**

"Not so brave now that I'm free!" Hera sneered.

**Around the courtyard, monsters began to panic and retreat, but there was no escape for them.**

"As if they can escape my wrath!" Hera cackled.

"Okay, she seems to be enjoying this _way_ too much..." Apollo said to his sister.

"It's Hera." Artemis said as if that explained everything. "Would you expect anything less?"

**Hera glowed brighter. She shouted, "Cover your eyes, my heroes!"**

**But Jason was too much in shock. He understood too late.**

Thalia froze. _...What?_

The demigods blinked.

 **He watched as Hera turned into a supernova, exploding in a ring of force that vaporized every monster instantly. Jason fell, light searing into his** **mind, and his last thought was that his body was burning.**

Athena was smiling as if it were music to her ears. _Finally, I'm surprised he lasted this long._

Everyone else looked like they were still registering what happened. Thalia was staring at the book like she was seeing it for the first time before she looked ready to throw up.

"Okay!" Leo said. "I know this looks bad but-"

"It was an accident!" Hera immediately defended. "I didn't mean to do it!"

As if she said the magic words, everyone started shouting at once. Each person had their own comment, theory, curse, or solution to save Jason. 

"Guys-"

"You just killed one of the seven of the Great Prophecy!" Demeter yelled shrilly. "We're doomed!"

"He's not-" Leo's voice was lost in the cacophony of noise.

"I told him to close his eyes!"

"Some good that did! He's dead!" Hades snapped. Thalia winced like she'd been slapped. "You couldn't check to make sure everyone's eyes were closed before you went on a rampage!"

"Ohmanohmanohman!" Mitchell chanted. "I know I was scared of him because he was Roman, but I didn't want him to _die!"_

"My brother... My baby brother... I just got him back and he's dead!" Thalia's bottom lip wobbled. Her hunters, despite the chaos around them, were quick to comfort her.

"We can change the future." Celin was quick to remind her. Naomi grabbed the girl's hand and rubbed soothing circles. Phoebe gave her a hug.

"Th-The worst part of all this..." Thalia paused to sniffle. "Is... I'm mad at Hera... But I can't even get mad at her like I want to!" she furiously wiped her tears. "Why did you look, Jason?! That's like looking at the sun with 3-D glasses! How could you keep staring at her?! I swear I'm going to kill you!" 

She seemed to realize what she said and a few more tears ran down her cheeks. She was ready to ask for a break and go mourn in peace when... 

 _Ttttttwwwwwweeeeeeeeeettttt!!_ A shrill sound of a whistle was heard over all the yelling and shouting.

Everyone went quiet and looked in the direction of the sound.

Leo pulled the big orange whistle from out of his mouth, but still kept it close by. 

"Can I _please_ say something?" Leo said, annoyed. "Jason's not dead! Piper brought him back to life!"

He was hoping that would make the readers calm down, but if anything it just made them louder.

"WHAT?!" Everyone chorused.

" _Fates_ , I'm starting to remember why coming here was a punishment." Leo said, wincing at the noise. How was Clovis still asleep, he would never know.

"How is that possible?" Hades asked, looking the most shocked Leo's ever seen him. "Aphrodite's children don't have healing abilities!"

"I don't know. I guess her charmspeak is that powerful." the son of Hephaestus responded honestly, brushing his hair back.

The room was silent as the readers processed what the boy was saying. Thalia's posture relaxed and she wiped the rest of her tears.

 _Thank the gods._ she thought. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

"The chapter's over." Nico said, after everyone was calmer. He turned to Hades. "Would you like to read next, Father."

"I suppose so." Hades said reluctantly, taking the book.

" **Piper LI** ,"


	52. Piper LI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3\. Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" **Piper LI** ," Hades began.

**"JASON!"**

The goddess of love and Thalia winced.

"It's okay," Leo was quick to assure. "Jason's still alive."

 **Piper kept calling his name as she held him, though she'd almost lost hope. He'd been unconscious for two minutes now. His body was steaming,** **his eyes rolled back in his head. She couldn't tell if he was even breathing.**

"He doesn't sound very alive to me..." Thalia said, nose still red and runny from her earlier crying. She sniffled.

Leo searched through his tool belt and pulled out a tissue box.

"Thalia." he tossed it over to the hunter. She easily  caught it.

"Thanks." she said before blowing her nose. 

**"It's no use, child." Hera stood over them in her simple black robes and shawl.**

"Would it kill you to sound more sympathetic?!" Aphrodite snapped. "It's your fault he's even like this."

"I _told_ you, I didn't mean to-"

"That still doesn't mean you didn't ki-" Thalia stopped herself. _He's not dead. Leo said he's not dead._ " _Hurt_ him."

"If he had closed his eyes like I asked..." Hera said, before huffing. _Why didn't he just close his eyes?_

 **Piper hadn't seen the goddess go nuclear. Thankfully she'd closed her eyes, but she could see the aftereffects. Every vestige of winter was gone** **from the valley. No signs of battle, either. The monsters had been vaporized. The ruins had been restored to what they were before—still ruins, but with no** **evidence that they'd been overrun by a horde of wolves, storm spirits, and six-armed ogres.**

 **Even the Hunters had been revived. Most waited at a respectful distance in the meadow, but Thalia knelt by Piper's side, her hand on Jason's** **forehead.**

**Thalia glared up at the goddess. "This is your fault. Do something!"**

"How dare you!" Hera glared at Thalia. "You should be grateful I even bothered to unfreeze you!"

"Why should I be grateful?! Look at what you did to him!" she shouted.

"That wasn't entirely my fault!" Hera shouted back. "I warned them and he didn't listen!"

As the two were having another shouting match, Leo wondered if he should use his whistle again. 

Thankfully, he didn't have to.

"Enough!" Zeus exclaimed. The two went quiet but they were still glaring daggers at each other.

**..."Fix him!"**

**Hera's eyes flickered with power. "I _did_ warn him. I would never intentionally hurt the boy. He was to be my champion. I told them to close their eyes ** **before I revealed my true form."** **  
**

**"Um ..." Leo frowned. "True form is bad, right? So why did you do it?"**

"Just to try to kill a giant who already left." the daughter of Zeus said, shaking her head.

"It wasn't just for that." Hera corrected pointedly.

**"I unleashed my power to help you, fool!" Hera cried.**

Hephaestus narrowed his eyes. "I'm really getting tired of hearing you call him that."

The god pinched out the little embers that sprouted on his beard.

 **"I became pure energy so I could disintegrate the monsters, restore this place, and even save** **these miserable Hunters from the ice."**

Artemis and her hunters glared at the goddess.

"They were frozen in ice because they were busy trying to save _you!_ " Artemis pointed out with a scowl.

"For someone who needed saving a chapter ago, she's sure quick to throw insults." Demeter sniffed.

"Yes, I'm starting to regret not leaving her." Hephaestus said. "Should've just followed my gut instinct."

"Too late now." Thalia said bitterly.

**...Leo shook his head in dismay. "That's what our prophecy meant. _Death unleash, through Hera's rage._**

"I knew she was going to kill somebody innocent..." Annabeth grumbled.

 **Come on, lady. You're a goddess. Do some** **voodoo magic on him! Bring him back."**

"It's impossible." Hades said.

"If it's impossible for a god, how'd Piper do it?" Will asked. Nobody had an answer for that.

**Piper half heard their conversation, but mostly she was focused on Jason's face. "He's breathing!" she announced.**

"How?" Hestia gasped.

"She could just be imagining it." Hades told his sister. "His spirit should be on its way to the Underworld at this point."

 **"Jason," Piper called, putting every bit of her willpower into his name. She could not lose him. "Listen to me. You can do this. Come back. You're** **going to be fine."**

**Nothing happened. Had she imagined his breath stirring?**

"It should be..." Apollo said. "Seeing a god's divine form is instant death for mortals."

"But Leo said he's alive!" Thalia said, hanging on to his statement like a lifeline. "He wouldn't lie about that."

"I know." the god agreed with a frown. "Still, I don't understand how Jason can come back from a blast that powerful..."

**"Healing is not a power of Aphrodite," Hera said regretfully. "Even I cannot fix this, girl. His mortal spirit—"**

**"Jason," Piper said again, and she imagined her voice resonating through the earth, all the way down to the Underworld. "Wake up."**

**He gasped, and his eyes flew open. For a moment they were full of light—glowing pure gold. Then the light faded and his eyes were normal again.**

" _Thank the gods!"_ Thalia said again with another sigh of relief.

Despite knowing this outcome, the readers still looked surprised, like they didn't fully believe Leo was telling the truth.

"See? I told you he was okay." Leo told them, pocketing the whistle. "Me and Piper wouldn't let anything bad happen to him."

He went back to fiddling with his paper clip.

Drew's eyes widened. 

"No way!" she denied. "There's just no way Piper is that strong! This has to be some kind of mistake!"

"She's not." Hades said, realizing what had happened. "He's still alive because of the Doors of Death. If they had not been open, he would not have returned to his body."

Thalia tried not to let that bother her. Jason was alive now, that's all that mattered.

"Still," Aphrodite said, smiling from ear to ear. "To summon someone back into their body is pretty impressive. I think she deserves some credit for bringing back to life."

"You're right." Thalia grinned. "Piper's a force to be reckoned with."

**"What—what happened?"**

Thalia's grin turned into a scowl.

"What happened? What happened?! That's what I should be asking you! _What happened Jason?_ Why didn't you look away? You're lucky so you're not here right now." 

 _He really is._ Leo blinked. Thalia looked ready to give her brother a piece of her mind.

**...Piper wrapped him in a hug until he groaned, "Crushing me."**

"You deserve it." Thalia huffed before grumbling. "Scaring poor Piper and me half to death."

**"Sorry," she said, so relieved, she laughed while wiping a tear from her eye.**

**Thalia gripped her brother's hand. "How do you feel?"**

**"Hot," he muttered. "Mouth is I saw something... really terrible."**

"Not surprising considering who it is." Thalia muttered.

**"That was Hera," Thalia grumbled. "Her Majesty, the Loose Cannon."**

Hera glared at her.

**"That's it, Thalia Grace," said the goddess. "I will turn you into an aardvark, so help me—"**

Thalia rolled her eyes. "As if I hadn't heard that threat before..."

**"Stop it, you two," Piper said , they both shut up.**

**"Now ..." Piper faced Thalia and Hera. "Hera—Your Majesty—we couldn't have rescued you without the Hunters.**

Hera huffed.

 **And Thalia, you never would've** **seen Jason again—I wouldn't have met him—if it weren't for Hera.**

"And I would've never lost him in the first place if it wasn't for her." Thalia pointed out.

"I had to separate you two, it was for your own good." Hera replied.

"Really?" the daughter of Zeus said in mock consideration. "So you're honestly going to tell me that you did this out of the total kindness of your heart, and there wasn't a part of you that did it just to spite my family?"

Hera didn't comment on that.

**You two make nice, because we've got bigger problems."**

**They both glared at her, and for three long seconds...**

**Finally Thalia grunted. "You've got spirit, Piper." She pulled a silver card from her parka and tucked it into the pocket of Piper's snowboarding jacket.**

**"You ever want to be a Hunter, call me. We could use you."**

Artemis smiled. "Good choice, Thalia, but I don't think she'll accept it."

Thalia shrugged. "Worth a shot."

Aphrodite looked like the hunter just handed her daughter a dead rat.

"Haha. Um... _yes_ , thank you for the offer." the goddess told the girl with a strained smile, everyone could tell she was just trying to be polite. "But Artemis is right. Piper wouldn't be interested in that type of thing."

"Right, she'll be too busy dating Jason to be a hunter." Lacy giggled.

Aphrodite's smile softened. "Exactly."

Thalia didn't look bothered by that, in fact, she looked just as happy as Aphrodite and her children.

 _It's nice to know Jason has someone looking out for him._  

 **Hera crossed her arms. "Fortunately for this Hunter, you have a point, daughter of Aphrodite." She assessed Piper, as if seeing her clearly for the** **time. "You wondered, Piper, why I chose you for this quest, why I didn't reveal your secret in the beginning, even when I knew Enceladus was using you. I** **must admit, until this moment I was not sure. Something told me you would be vital to the quest. Now I see I was right. You're even stronger than I realized.**

Aphrodite beamed with pride.

**And you are correct about the dangers to come. We must work together."**

**Piper's face felt warm. She wasn't sure how to respond to Hera's compliment, but Leo stepped in.**

**"Yeah," he said, "I don't suppose that Porphyrion guy just melted and died, huh?"**

**"No," Hera agreed.**

"It'd be too easy." Percy said.

"Where could he have gone?" Katie asked.

"Greece." Annabeth grimaced. "He's still too weak to destroy Olympus, but he's definitely going to be reforming his army and getting ready."

The other readers grimaced with her.

 **"By saving me, and saving this place, you prevented Gaea from waking. You have bought us some time. But Porphyrion has** **risen. He simply knew better than to stay here, especially since he has not yet regained his full power. Giants can only be killed by a combination of god** **and demigod, working together. Once you freed me—"**

**"He ran away," Jason said.**

"Like a coward." Ares added.

**..."I need to find Annabeth," Thalia said. "She has to know what's happened here."**

Annabeth nodded in agreement. "I'm sure future me would appreciate it."

**"Thalia ..." Jason gripped her hand. "We never got to talk about this place, or—"**

Thalia sighed. "Don't worry, we'll talk about it someday..."

**"I know." Her expression softened. "I lost you here once.**

_Almost twice._ Thalia thought with a shudder.

 **I don't want to leave you again. But we'll meet soon. I'll rendezvous with you back at Camp Half-Blood."** **She glanced at Hera. "You'll see them there safely? It's the least you can do."**

"You have no authority over me." Hera huffed.

"They saved your life and you nearly killed one of them, accident or not." Thalia reminded. "You owe them a way back to Camp. They don't have any other way to get back otherwise."

"I _know_ that." the goddess said through gritted teeth

**The goddess sighed. "Fine. Yes. Just off with you, Hunter!"**

**Thalia gave Jason a hug and said her good-byes. When the Hunters were gone, the courtyard seemed strangely quiet...**

**"Jason, what happened to you here?" she asked. "I mean—I know your mom abandoned you here. But you said it was sacred ground for demigods.** **Why? What happened after you were on your own?"**

**"You were given a destiny," Hera said. "You were given into my service."**

"Don't remind me." Thalia said with a scowl.

 **Jason scowled. "Because you forced my mom to do that. You couldn't stand knowing Zeus had two children with my mom. Knowing that he'd fallen** **for her twice. I was the price you demanded for leaving the rest of my family alone. "**

"Right!" Thalia agreed.

 **"It was the right choice for you as well, Jason," Hera insisted. "The second time your mother managed to snare Zeus's affections, it was because she** **imagined him in a different aspect—the aspect of Jupiter.**

Zeus suddenly winced at the sudden pain in his head.

 **Never before had this happened—two children, Greek and Roman, born into the same family.** **You had to be separated from Thalia. This is where all demigods of your kind start their journey."**

**"Of his kind?" Piper asked.**

"You still don't get it, how much more does she have to spell it out for you?" Drew sighed in mock disappointment.

 **"She means Roman," Jason said.** **"Demigods are left here. We meet the she-wolf goddess, Lupa, the same immortal wolf that raised Romulus and** **Remus."**

**Hera nodded. "And if you are strong enough, you live."**

"I don't think I can ever get used to hearing that." Travis shuddered.

**...[Leo] "What happened after that? I mean, Jason never made it to camp."**

**"Not to Camp Half-Blood, no," Hera agreed.**

**...[Piper] "You went somewhere else. That's where you've been all these years. Somewhere** **else for demigods—but where?"**

**Jason turned to the goddess. "The memories are coming back, but not the location. You're not going to tell me, are you?"**

"Seriously?" Annabeth said. "How are they supposed to go along with your plan, if you don't tell them where they need to go?"

"Don't you think that if I was allowed to, I would have?" Hera sneered. "I can't. Jason must find his way back to the camp without my assistance. It's part of his destiny."

Thalia snorted. _Sounds like bull to me..._

**..."You want us to help you," Jason said, "but you're holding back information."**

**"Giving you answers would make those answers invalid," Hera said. "That is the way of the Fates. You must forge your own path for it to mean** **, you three have surprised me. I would not have thought it possible ..."**

"Wow..." Percy said. "You're the one who came up with this, yet, you didn't think it would work."

Hera shrugged. "I took a gamble. I did what I had to do to save my family."

 **The goddess shook her head. "Suffice to say, you have performed well, demigods. But this is only the beginning.** **Now you must return to Camp Half Blood, where you will begin planning for the next phase."**

**"Which you won't tell us about," Jason grumped. "And I suppose you destroyed my nice storm spirit horse, so we'll have to walk home?"**

**Hera waved aside the question. "Storm spirits are creatures of chaos. I did not destroy that one, though I have no idea where he went, or whether** **you'll see him again.**

"So you let the storm spirit live, but almost manage to kill my brother. Makes sense." Thalia said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

 **But there is an easier way home for you. As you have done me a great service, so I can help you—at least this once. Farewell,** **demigods, for now."**

**The world turned upside down, and Piper almost blacked out.**

Leo grimaced as he remembered the motions of the teleportation. _I never want to experience something like that ever again..._

 **When she could see straight again, she was back at camp, in the dining pavilion, in the middle of dinner. They were standing on the Aphrodite cabin's** **table, and Piper had one foot in Drew's pizza.**

Drew scowled as her siblings stifled their laughter.

The other demigods didn't bother to hide their laughter.

"Tough luck, Drew!" Connor told her.

Putting the paper clip in his pocket, Leo fiddled with his jacket buttons.

 **Sixty campers rose at once, gawking at them in astonishment.** **  
**

**Whatever Hera had done to shoot them across the country, it wasn't good for Piper's stomach. She could barely control her nausea. Leo wasn't so** **lucky.**

"Motion sickness?" Will guessed, looking at Leo sympathetically.

The son of Hephaestus just swallowed and nodded his head.

**He jumped off the table, ran to the nearest bronze brazier,**

The gods' eyes widened in fear.

" _No."_ Hermes gasped. " _Nononono!  Fates! Don't!_ Please don't make it. Run past it! Trip over your feet! Just don't-"

 **and threw up in it** Hades made a face of disgust.

"-throw up in it..." the god trailed off with a sigh, shoulders slumping in defeat.

" _Ew!"_ Aphrodite shrieked.

"Uh... Thanks for the offering but you can keep it..." Apollo grimaced.

"Sorry." Leo said with an apologetic smile.

**—which was probably not a great burnt offering for the gods.**

"Ya' think so?" Hermes said sarcastically. He turned to Hephaestus. "He's your son, so that little 'offering' should go straight to you."

Hephaestus made a face at that.

 **"Jason?" Chiron trotted forward. No doubt the old centaur had seen thousands of years' worth of weird stuff, but even he looked totally** **flabbergasted. "What—How—?"**

"Yeah, Leo's grand entrance probably blew him away!" Travis laughed, Connor joined him.

"I couldn't help it!" Leo defended. "You know I get motion sick!"

"I guess we can add teleportation under cars." Nico said. "Remind me not to Shadow Travel with you."

**The Aphrodite campers stared up at Piper with their mouths open. Piper figured she must look awful.**

**"Hi," she said, as casually as she could. "We're back."**

"Finished." Hades said before wordlessly tossing the book to Zeus.

The king of gods sighed when he caught the book before he started to read the new chapter.

" **Piper LII** ," Zeus read.


	53. Piper LII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3\. Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" **Piper LII** ," Zeus read.

**Piper didn't remember much about the rest of the night. They told their story and answered a million questions from the other campers, but finally Chiron** **saw how tired they were and ordered them to bed.**

"We were there for _hours_ just explaining everything to you guys." Leo complained. "It was basically this only less reading, obviously."

**It felt so good to sleep on a real mattress, and Piper was so exhausted, she crashed immediately...**

Annabeth smiled in understanding. She felt the exact same way after all of her quests.

Leo swung his legs back and forth.

**The next morning she woke in her bunk, feeling reinvigorated. The sun came through the windows along with a pleasant breeze. It might've been** **spring instead of winter. Birds sang. Monsters howled in the woods. Breakfast smells wafted from the dining pavilion—bacon, pancakes, and all sorts of** **wonderful things.**

**Drew and her gang were frowning down at her, their arms crossed.**

Aphrodite frowned.

"You're still doing this?" the goddess asked her children disapprovingly. "I thought you would've at least put an end to this after Piper came back from her quest." Her frown deepened. "I didn't know you were going to pick up where you left off..."

The demigods of Cabin Ten shifted uncomfortably, refusing to meet their mother's disappointed eyes.

"Sorry." a few of them mumbled.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing too." Aphrodite told them. She sighed. "Hopefully you all give Piper the warm welcome she deserves when she comes to camp."

**"Morning." Piper sat up and smiled. "Beautiful day."**

"At least she's not letting it get to her." the goddess sighed. _That's good, the poor girl was really distraught the last time she was here._

**"You're going to make us late for breakfast," Drew said, "which means you get to clean the cabin for inspection."**

**A week ago, Piper would've either punched Drew in the face, or hidden back under her covers.**

_She most likely do the latter._ Drew snorted and rolled her eyes.

**Now she thought about the Cyclopes in Detroit,** **Medea in Chicago, Midas turning her to gold in Omaha. Looking at Drew, who used to bother her, Piper laughed.**

Drew's jaw dropped at the action before she gritted her teeth in anger.

"Yikes!" Travis chuckled. "Looks like someone's not scared of you anymore!"

"She didn't have a reason to be scared, it's just Drew." Clarisse rolled her eyes.

**Drew's smug expression crumbled. She backed up, then remembered she was supposed to be angry. "What are you—"**

**"Challenging you," Piper said.** The members of Cabin Ten dramatically gasped. Lacy was excitedly bouncing up and down on her seat. **"How about noon in the arena? You can choose the weapons."**

Drew's face paled. " _C-Challenge me?"_ she squeaked, a couple of people snickered at that. She immediately schooled her features until she looked more angrier. "That stupid troll! She can't do that! I've been in camp _way_ longer than she has! She didn't even stay at camp for more than a day!"

"Actually she can." Clarisse was all too happy to explain. "She's been claimed by Aphrodite and completed a quest, which is more than you've ever done."

Drew's eye twitched.

"So she can challenge you, unless you want to step down."  

" _Step down? Me?! After everything I've done for this Cabin?!"_ she shouted. "You're insane!"

"Then I hope you're prepared for a duel, because I don't think Piper's going to back down." Clarisse shrugged nonchalantly.

"I think she's been wanting to do this the moment she came to Camp." Leo commented. 

Drew's face was turning redder by the minute. Her face contorted in embarrassment and anger.

**..."I missed you guys!" Piper announced. "We're going to have a great time when I'm senior counselor."**

"Can't wait." Mitchell happily said.

"This is going to be _so_ awesome! I can't wait for Piper to come!" Lacy said eagerly, bouncing in her chair again. "We should give her a tour around Camp!"

Other members of Cabin Ten said their agreements.

Annabeth fought down a wave of disappointment at that. Although she wanted to give Piper a better tour this time around, she really should spend the time to get to know her siblings. _Besides, it's not like we can't hang out later._

Aphrodite beamed at the idea.

"Great idea, Lacy. I'm sure Piper would love that." the goddess praised.

Said girl blushed. "Er... Thanks, Mom."

**..." _Step down?_ " Drew shrieked. "You're crazy!"**

**Piper shrugged. Then fast as a viper she pulled Katoptris from under her pillow, unsheathed the dagger, and thrust the point under Drew's chin.**

Drew paled.

"She's crazy!" she shrieked. "Who points a dagger at their own sibling like that?"

"I dunno..." Percy said unsympathetically. "Who treats their own siblings like garbage?"

**Everybody else backed up fast. One guy crashed into a makeup table and sent up a plume of pink powder.**

**"A duel, then," Piper said cheerfully. "If you don't want to wait until noon, now is fine. You've turned this cabin into a dictatorship, Drew. Silena** **Beauregard knew better than that.**

"It's sad really." Aphrodite remarked. "You really could've been a great camp counselor, Drew. I hope this teaches you a lesson on becoming a better leader in the future."

Drew said nothing and stared off into space. _This can't be happening to me..._

**Aphrodite is about love and beauty. Being loving. Spreading beauty. Good friends. Good times. Good deeds. Not just** **looking good.**

Aphrodite smiled softly. "Somebody gets it."

**Silena made mistakes, but in the end she stood by her friends.**

"And that's really all that matters." Clarisse added.

**That's why she was a hero. I'm going to set things right, and I've got a** **feeling Mom will be on my side. Want to find out?"**

**"I... step down," Drew grumbled.**

"Of course you did, you coward." Clarisse sneered.

"Shut up!" Drew snapped as Cabin Ten loudly cheered. "I'm still senior counselor!"

"You better enjoy it while it lasts." Mitchell advised. "Mom still wants to talk to you remember?"

Drew glared at her brother.

**"But if you think I'm ever going to forget this, McLean—"**

**"Oh, I hope you won't," Piper said. "Now, run along to the dining pavilion, and explain to Chiron why we're late. There's been a change of leadership."**

**Drew backed to the door. Even her closest lieutenants didn't follow her. She was about to leave when Piper said, "Oh, and Drew, honey?"**

**The former counselor looked back reluctantly.**

**"In case you think I'm not a true daughter of Aphrodite," Piper said, "don't even look at Jason Grace. He may not know it yet, but he's mine.**

" _Awww!_ " Lacy cooed.

" _Geez,_ possessive much?" Leo smiled and rolled his eyes

He played with the zipper on his jacket.

**If you** **even try to make a move, I will load you into a catapult and shoot you across Long Island Sound."**

Drew winced.

**Drew turned around so fast, she ran into the door frame.**

The demigods burst out laughing.

Drew's face turned redder as she shrank back in her seat.

**Then she was gone.**

"Off to spread the good news!" Connor said cheerfully.

**...Then, spontaneously, the Aphrodite campers cheered so loudly, they must've been heard all across camp. They herded Piper out of the cabin,** **raised her on their shoulders, and carried her all the way to the dining pavilion—still in her pajamas, her hair still a mess, but she didn't care. She'd never** **felt better.**

Aphrodite smiled sadly. She felt bad for Drew but knew this was for the best. She just didn't have the qualities cut out for the job.

**By afternoon, Piper had changed into comfortable camp clothes and led the Aphrodite cabin through their morning activities. She was ready for free** **time.**

**Some of the buzz of her victory had faded because she had an appointment at the Big House.**

**Chiron met her on the front porch in human form, compacted into his wheelchair. "Come inside, my dear. The video conference is ready."**

"Video conference?" Percy echoed.

"It must be from Tristan!" Aphrodite said excitedly.

**The only computer at camp was in Chiron's office, and the whole room was shielded in bronze plating.**

**...Piper hesitated before clicking the call button. Chiron's office had a cluttered, cozy feel. One wall** **was covered with T-shirts from different conventions—party ponies '09 vegas, party ponies '10 honolulu, et cetera. Piper didn't know who the Party** **Ponies were, but judging from the stains, scorch marks, and weapon holes in the T-shirts, they must've had some pretty wild meetings.**

"They're awesome!" Travis said, earning nods of agreement from some of the demigods.

**O** **n the shelf over** **Chiron's desk sat an old-fashioned boom box with cassette tapes labeled 'Dean Martin' and 'Frank Sinatra' and 'Greatest Hits of the 40s.'**

"Chiron's got good taste." Apollo commented while the demigods shuddered.

"After that chariot race, I don't think I can hear 40s music ever the same way again..." Percy said, grimacing as he thought back to the demonic pigeon attack.

**Chiron was so old, Piper wondered if that meant 1940s, 1840s, or maybe just A.D. 40.**

"Probably before that." Percy remarked, wondering just how old the centaur was.

**But most of the office's wall space was plastered with photos of demigods, like a hall of fame. One of the newer shots showed a teenage guy with dark hair and green eyes. Since he stood arm in arm with Annabeth, Piper assumed the guy must be Percy Jackson.**

Percy and Annabeth shared a smile.

**...She took a deep breath and made the call. The video screen popped up.**

**Gleeson Hedge grinned at her from her dad's office. "Seen the news?"**

**"Kind of hard to miss," Piper said. "I hope you know what you're doing."**

**Chiron had shown her a newspaper at lunch. Her dad's mysterious return from nowhere had made the front page. His personal assistant Jane had** **been fired for covering up his disappearance and failing to notify the police.**

Aphrodite smiled evilly. "I hope they throw the book at her."

**A** **new staff had been hired and personally vetted by Tristan McLean's 'life coach,' Gleeson Hedge. According to the paper, Mr. McLean claimed to have no memory of the last week, and the media was totally eating up the story.**

"Better than what it could've been." Will said.

"I'm glad Gleeson and Tristan are doing okay." Hestia commented.

**"Don't get too comfortable out there in Hollywood, Gleeson," Piper said.**

**Hedge snorted. "You kidding? These people make Aeolus look sane. I'll be back as soon as I can, but your dad's gotta get back on his feet first.** **He's a good guy. Oh, and by the way, I took care of that other little matter. The Park Service in the Bay Area just got an anonymous gift of a new** **that ranger pilot who helped us? She's got a very lucrative offer to fly for Mr. McLean."**

"That's great news!" Hestia beamed. 

"That should cover blowing up her helicopter." Leo smiled, rocking his chair back.

**"Yeah, well. I don't try to be awesome. It just comes natural. Speaking of Aeolus's place, meet your dad's new assistant."**

**Hedge was nudged out of the way, and a pretty young lady grinned into the camera.**

**"Mellie?" Piper stared, but it was definitely her: the aura who'd helped them escape from Aeolus's fortress. "You're working for my dad now?"**

Apollo perked up.

"They even got Mellie a job too?" the god said, pleasantly surprised.

"She deserves it after all the crap she put up with Aeolus." Dionysus said. He shuddered. "Twelve hours with Aeolus... That should be a part of the Fields of Punishment."

"Nobody deserves that type of eternal damnation." Hades said.

**"Isn't it great?"**

**"Does he know you're a—you know—wind spirit?"**

"Of course not!" Aphrodite said with a frown. _We don't need a repeat of the last time he found out..._

**"Oh, no. But I love this job. It's—um—a breeze!"**

Leo laughed. "Nice one!"

The other readers groaned in disagreement.

**...[Piper] "I'm glad. That's awesome. But where—"**

**"Just a sec." Mellie kissed Gleeson on the cheek.**

" _Awww!_ They're a couple!" Aphrodite cooed. "They're going to be so cute together."

**A second later, Piper's dad appeared.**

**He broke into a huge grin. "Pipes!"**

**He looked great—back to normal, with his sparkling brown eyes, his half-day beard, his confident smile, and his newly trimmed hair like he was** **ready to shoot a scene.**

Aphrodite smiled brightly. " _Fates,_ I'm glad to see he's doing alright." 

**...In her mind, she started the clock. On a normal call like this, on a workday, she hardly ever got her dad's attention for longer than thirty seconds.**

Aphrodite's smile wavered.

Annabeth frowned. _Of course, now that he's back to normal, that means back to their strained relationship._ _  
_

**"Hey," she said weakly. "You feeling okay?"**

**"Honey, I'm so sorry to worry you with this disappearance business. I don't know ..." His smile wavered, and she could tell he was trying to remember —grasping for a memory that should have been there, but wasn't. "I'm not sure what happened, honestly. But I'm fine. Coach Hedge has been a** **godsend."**

"A godsend..." Leo chuckled. "Man, we are on a roll today with these jokes!"

"That one wasn't even intentional..." Nico groaned.

"Or funny." Clarisse said bluntly.

**..."He told me about your new school," Dad said. "I'm sorry the Wilderness School didn't work out, but you were right. Jane was wrong. I was a fool to** **listen to her."**

**Ten seconds left, maybe. But at least her dad sounded sincere, like he really did feel remorseful.**

Annabeth's expression softened. _Maybe he doesn't remember, but he's making an effort to change._

It wouldn't be easy, they still had a lot to catching up to do, but Annabeth hoped their relationship would grow over time.

**"You don't remember anything?" she said, a bit wistfully.**

**"Of course I do," he said.**

Everyone tensed.

_"Oh no."_ Aphrodite paled.

"What?" Percy exclaimed.

"He couldn't, right?" Will asked. "That potion should've wiped his memories clean!"

"He couldn't have." Annabeth assured them. "There's no way he'd be acting this normally if that were true."

"I mean... He _is_ an actor..." Connor said. "How do we know he's not acting right now?"

_Are you serious?_ Annabeth suppressed the urge to sigh. "He's not..."

**A chill went down her neck. "You do?"**

**"I remember that I love you," he said.**

"See?" Annabeth said.

_Why would he say it like that? Is he trying to give me a heart attack?_ Aphrodite thought. Clutching her chest, she tried to calm her racing heartbeat.

**"And I'm proud of you happy at your new school?"**

**Piper blinked. She wasn't going to cry now. After all she'd been through, that would be ridiculous. "Yeah, Dad. It's more like a camp, not a school, but ... Yeah, I think I'll be happy here."**

Cabin Ten shared smiled at that.

**"Call me as often as you can," he said. "And come home for Pipes ..."**

**"Yes?"**

**He touched the screen as if trying to reach through with his hand. "You're a wonderful young lady. I don't tell you that often enough. You remind me so** **much of your mother. She'd be proud.**

"I am proud." Aphrodite admitted with a shaky smile, still trying to calm down.

**And Grandpa Tom"—he chuckled—"he always said you'd be the most powerful voice in our family. You're going to** **outshine me some day, you know. They're going to remember me as Piper McLean's father, and that's the best legacy I can imagine."**

**Piper tried to answer, but she was afraid she'd break down. She just touched his fingers on the screen and nodded.**

**Mellie said something in the background, and her dad sighed. "Studio calling. I'm sorry, honey." And he did sound genuinely annoyed to go.** **  
**

**"It's okay, Dad," she managed. "Love you."**

**He winked. Then the video call went black.**

**Forty-five seconds? Maybe a full minute.**

"It's still short, but it's something." Annabeth muttered.

**Piper smiled. A small improvement, but it was progress.**

Annabeth nodded her head in approval.

**At the commons area, she found Jason relaxing on a bench, a basketball between his feet...** **His various scars and bruises from the quest were healing, thanks to some medical attention from the Apollo cabin.**

"The best cabin!" Apollo made sure to add.

**His arms** **and legs were well muscled and tan—distracting as always. His close-cropped blond hair caught the afternoon light so it looked like it was turning to** **gold, Midas style.**

An Aphrodite girl nudged her sibling. 

"They're totally going to kiss." she told her.

"Oh _absolutely_ , they're _totally_ going to kiss." the girl readily agreed. "They're alone, they just completed their quest, they're madly in love with each other... Now's the perfect time for them to kiss."

"Nah, Jason's been hesitating on calling her his girlfriend for too long." a brother said. "I don't think they're going to do it."

"You think so?" Mitchell asked conversationally. "But Piper's a lot more confident now. He might be willing to go out with her when she expresses her feelings to him."

Somebody in the back snort. "Her feelings toward him have been pretty obvious since Day One. If he didn't kiss her before, they're not going to do it now."

"Sounds like a bet." a girl said, smiling mischievously. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a dollar. "Ten bucks says they kiss!"

The siblings began placing their bets.

**...She sat next to him and they watched the campers going back and forth. A couple of Demeter girls were playing tricks on two of the Apollo guys —making grass grow around their ankles as they shot baskets.**

Demeter frowned disapprovingly. "What if they trample the grass?"

Katie and Hades rolled their eyes.

**Over at the camp store, the Hermes kids were putting up a sign that read: FLYING SHOES,** **SLIGHTLY USED, 50% OFF TODAY!**

Grover grimaced. "We still have those around Camp?"

"Of course! They're the best gifts Dad could ever give us." Connor said, grinning at his father.

"It takes a lot of practice to get the hang of them, but they're perfect for pranks." Travis added. "And stealth, getaways...you know, the basics."

Katie narrowed her eyes. "I hope this sale isn't another one of your stupid pranks."

Travis looked back at her, he blinked at her in mock innocence.

"Of course not!" he gasped in disbelief.

"We'd never do something so terrible!" Connor said, feigning offense.

"Uh-huh." Katie said, unimpressed.

**Ares kids were lining their cabin with fresh barbed wire. The Hypnos cabin was snoring away. A normal day at camp.**

**Meanwhile, the Aphrodite kids were watching Piper and Jason, and trying to pretend they weren't. Piper was pretty sure she saw money change** **hands, like they were placing bets on a kiss.**

The children of Aphrodite hesitated. They smiled back guiltily at the other readers.

"Seriously?" Percy asked, seeing the money in their hands.

"It's all in good fun!" one of the kids swore.

"We do this _all_ the time." a girl drawled out. "It's not just Piper."

_Is that supposed to make it better?_ the son of Poseidon wondered.

**"Get any sleep?" she asked him.**

**He looked at her as if she'd been reading his thoughts. "Not much. Dreams."**

**"About your past?"**

**He nodded.**

"At least they're not demigod dreams." Thalia frowned.

**...Jason spun his basketball. "It's not good news," he warned.** Thalia's frown deepened at that. **"My memories aren't good for—for any of us."**

"We can handle it." Thalia swore. 

**Piper was pretty sure he'd been about to say for us—as in the two of them, and she wondered if he'd remembered a girl from his past.**

Cabin Ten exchanged worried looks.

"He can't have a girlfriend back at Camp, right?" Lacy whispered to Mitchell.

Her brother frowned. "I hope not..."

Annabeth couldn't help but wonder if Percy was going through the same situation right now. What if he liked another girl and they got together? What would she do then? What would _he_ do then? Could she really stand Percy choosing someone else over her?

She clenched her hands into fists and pushed those thoughts away.

**But she** **didn't let it bother her. Not on a sunny winter day like this, with Jason next to her.**

**...[Jason] "Annabeth and Rachel are coming in for the meeting tonight. I should probably wait until then to explain ..."**

**"Okay." She plucked a blade of grass by her foot...**

Demeter winced as if she'd been slapped.

**Jason studied her warily. His forearm tattoo was faint blue in the sunlight. "You're in a good mood. How can you be so sure things will work out?"**

**"Because you're going to lead us," she said simply. "I'd follow you anywhere."**

" _Awwww!_ " Aphrodite and her daughters cooed in unison.

**Jason blinked. Then slowly, he smiled. "Dangerous thing to say."**

**"I'm a dangerous girl."**

Lacy gasped. "It's just like her dream! How romantic!"

**"That, I believe."**

**He got up and brushed off his shorts. He offered her a hand. "Leo says he's got something to show us out in the woods. You coming?"**

**"Wouldn't miss it." She took his hand and stood up.**

**For a moment, they kept holding hands. Jason tilted his head. "We should get going."**

**"Yep," she said. "Just a sec."**

"Kiss. Kiss. Kiss. Kiss." some of the children of Aphrodite chanted under their breaths.

"C'mon..." a girl muttered, nervously sweating. "I've got a Sephora gift card on the line here."

**She let go of his hand, and took a card from her pocket—the silver calling card that Thalia had given her for the Hunters of Artemis. She dropped it** **into a nearby eternal fire and watched it burn.**

The hunters huffed.

"Poor girl, she doesn't know what she's missing." Naomi said sympathetically.

**There would be no breaking hearts in Aphrodite cabin from now on. That was one rite of passage they** **didn't need.**

"Exactly." the goddess of love agreed.

**Across the green, her cabinmates looking disappointed that they hadn't witnessed a kiss. They started cashing in their bets.**

"Damn it!" the girl wailed handing her card out.

Her brother snatched it out of her hand along with his portion of the bet.

A few others of Cabin Ten cursed under their breath as they cashed in.

**But that was all right. Piper was patient, and she could see lots of good possibilities.**

**"Let's go," she told Jason. "We've got adventures to plan."**

"Finished." Zeus concluded.

"I'll read next." Hera said, taking the book.

" **Leo LIII** ," the goddess read.


	54. Leo LIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3\. Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" **Leo LIII** ," Hera read.

**Leo hadn't felt this jumpy since he offered tofu burgers to the werewolves. When he got to the limestone cliff in the forest, he turned to the group and** **smiled nervously. "Here we go."**

"You're showing us the bunker?" Annabeth asked.

Leo nodded his head.

"You guys had to find out eventually." he said, ripping a piece of paper out of his notepad. He began to neatly fold the corners.

**He willed his hand to catch fire, and set it against the door.**

**"Leo!" Nyssa cried. "You're a fire user!"**

" _Gee,_ thanks Nyssa!" Travis snickered.

Nyssa cringed.

_Really Nyssa?_ she thought in exasperation.

**...Jake Mason, who was out of his body cast but still on crutches,**

"At least I'm not still in the body cast." Jake said, still looking entirely pleased with his condition.

**said, "Holy Hephaestus. That means—it's so rare that—"**

**The massive stone door swung open, and everyone's mouth dropped. Leo's flaming hand seemed insignificant now. Even Piper and Jason looked** **stunned, and they'd seen enough amazing things lately.**

**Only Chiron didn't look surprised.**

"Of course he knew about it." Annabeth said. "He's probably known about it ever since it was in the process of being built."

**The centaur knit his bushy eyebrows and stroked his beard, as if the group was about to walk through a minefield.**

**That made Leo even more nervous, but he couldn't change his mind now...**

"Don't mind Chiron, he's been a downer since the beginning of the book." Connor said to Leo.

"Seriously, he needs to lighten up a bit." Travis agreed.

"He's probably that way because he's thinking about the history of Bunker Nine." Annabeth couldn't help but defend.

**..."Welcome to Bunker Nine," he said, as confidently as he could. "C'mon in."**

**The group was silent as they toured the facility. Everything was just as Leo had left it—giant machines, worktables, old maps and schematics. Only one** **thing had changed. Festus's head was sitting on the central table, still battered and scorched from his final crash in Omaha.**

A couple demigods winced at the description.

Nyssa and Jake grimaced at the reminder.

**Leo went over to it, a bitter taste in his mouth, and stroked the dragon's forehead. "I'm sorry, Festus. But I won't forget you."**

"None of us will." Jake said. "He's the best invention the Hephaestus Cabin ever made."

Nyssa nodded in agreement.

**Jason put a hand on Leo's shoulder. "Hephaestus brought it here for you?"**

**Leo nodded.**

**"But you can't repair him," Jason guessed.**

"Not in his original form." Leo murmured.

**"No way," Leo said. "But the head is going to be reused. Festus will be going with us."**

The demigods turned to Leo.

Nyssa's eyes brightened. "Festus is going to be part of the ship?"

"Yup! He's going to be the mast head! Remember the drawing?" Leo asked. The Hephaestus children's eyes widened in realization.

"That's great!" Jake smiled.

"Yeah, I would've made him a new body, but I wouldn't have had time to do _that_ and make the ship..." Leo sighed. He placed his paper hat beside him.

"After the quest, we could work on it together." Nyssa promised. "We all love Festus and I'm sure everyone would be willing to help you make him a new body."

Leo was smiling but there was a hint of sadness that Nyssa didn't understand.

"Sounds like a plan." he said lightly. _Too bad I won't be able to keep it._

He tried not to frown at that. 

**...Nyssa cried out, "Guys, look at this!"**

**She was standing at one of the worktables, flipping through a sketchbook—diagrams for hundreds of different machines and weapons.**

**"I've never seen anything like these," Nyssa said. "There are more amazing ideas here than in Daedalus's workshop.**

"I wouldn't go as far as to say that..." Annabeth muttered.

**It would take a century just to** **prototype them all."**

**"Who built this place?" Jake Mason said. "And why?"**

**Chiron stayed silent, but Leo focused on the wall map he'd seen during his first visit. It showed Camp Half-Blood with a line of triremes in the Sound,** **catapults mounted in the hills around the valley, and spots marked for traps, trenches, and ambush sites.**

The gods grimaced.

**...The centaur's tail swished fretfully. "This camp has been attacked many times," he admitted. "That map is from the last Civil War."**

**..."Civil War ..." Piper said. "You mean the American Civil War, like a hundred and fifty years ago?"**

**"Yes and no," Chiron** **said**. **"The two conflicts—mortal and demigod—mirrored each other, as they usually do in Western history. Look at any civil war or revolution from the fall of Rome onward, and it marks a time when demigods also fought one another. But that Civil War was particularly horrible. For American mortals, it is still their bloodiest conflict of all time—worse than their casualties in the two World Wars. For demigods, it was equally devastating. Even back then, this valley was Camp Half-Blood. There was a horrible battle in these woods lasting for days, with terrible losses on both sides."**

Chris blinked. "Wow." Percy's explanation wasn't nearly as gruesome as the way Chiron told it.

"Now you see why we separated you?" Poseidon sighed. "Seeing so much bloodshed caused by our own children left  us deciding it was better if you weren't aware that each other existed."

"But it'll be different this time." Percy swore. "We're already coming up with ways to make a stronger alliance and planning on doing research to get to know them better. I think we're making good progress."

"I hope you're right, Percy." his father sighed.

**"Both sides," Leo said. "You mean the camp split apart?"**

The demigods groaned in annoyance. 

"I didn't know!" Leo threw his hands up in defense.

**"No," Jason spoke up. "He means two different groups. Camp Half-Blood was one side in the war."**

**Leo wasn't sure he wanted an answer, but he asked, "Who was the other?"**

"C'mon man, you should know the answer at this point." Travis shook his head.

"Sorry!" Leo helplessly shrugged before muttering. "In the future, you weren't so quick at figuring it out either."

**Chiron glanced up at the tattered _B_ _unker 9_ banner, as if remembering the day it was raised.**

**"The answer is dangerous," he warned. "It is something I swore upon the River Styx never to speak of. After the American Civil War, the gods were** **so horrified by the toll it took on their children, that they swore it would never happen again. The two groups were separated. The gods bent all their will,** **wove the Mist as tightly as they could, to make sure the enemies never remembered each other, never met on their quests, so that bloodshed could be** **avoided. This map is from the final dark days of 1864, the last time the two groups fought. We've had several close calls since then. The nineteen sixties** **were particularly dicey. But we've managed to avoid another civil war—at least so far. Just as Leo guessed, this bunker was a command center for the** **Hephaestus cabin. In the last century, it has been reopened a few times, usually as a hiding place in times of great unrest. But coming here is dangerous.** **It stirs old memories, awakens the old feuds. Even when the Titans threatened last year, I did not think it worth the risk to use this place."**

The room became more somber at his words.

"We don't have a choice Chiron," Annabeth muttered. "We need this and all the help we can get, if we want to win this war."

**Suddenly Leo's sense of triumph turned to guilt. "Hey, look, this place found _me_. It was meant to happen. It's a good thing."**

"Right." Percy agreed.

**"I hope you're right," Chiron said.**

**"I am!" Leo pulled the old drawing out of his pocket and spread it on the table for everyone to see.**

"The crayon drawing of destiny!" Connor said, perking up.

**Nyssa frowned. "Leo, it's a crayon drawing of a boat."**

"Man, you're really observant today." Connor snickered.

Nyssa just glared at him.

**"Look." He pointed at the largest schematic on the bulletin board—the blueprint showing a Greek trireme. Slowly, his cabin mates' eyes widened as they compared the two designs. The number of masts and oars, even the decorations on the shields and sails were exactly the same as on Leo's** **drawing.**

"Not bad for a kindergartner, amirite?" Leo bragged. He ripped out another piece of paper. He folded in half.

**"That's impossible," Nyssa said. "That blueprint has to be a century old at least."**

**"' _Prophecy_ — _Unclear_ — _Flight_ ,'" Jake Mason read from the notes on the blueprint. "It's a diagram for a flying ship. Look, that's the landing gear. And weaponry—Holy Hephaestus: rotating ballista, mounted crossbows, Celestial bronze plating. That thing would be one spankin' hot war machine.** **Was it ever made?"**

**"Not yet," Leo said. "Look at the masthead."**

**There was no doubt—the figure at the front of the ship was the head of a dragon. A very particular dragon.**

**"Festus," Piper said. Everyone turned and looked at the dragon's head sitting on the table.**

**"He's meant to be our masthead," Leo said. "Our good luck charm, our eyes at sea.** The Hephaestus kids shared a smile. **I'm supposed to build this ship. I'm gonna call it the _Argo II_ guys, I'll need your help."**

"Of course." Jake grinned. "It'll be great!"

"But should it really look like a war ship?" Clarisse said. "One look at that and the Romans will think that we're going to attack them."

"She has a point." Annabeth frowned.

"I sent them a video scroll explaining who we are and why we're coming." Leo told them.

That seemed to assure the demigods. 

**"The Argo II." Piper smiled. "After Jason's ship."**

"Sounds good to me." Thalia smiled.

**Jason looked a little uncomfortable, but he nodded. "Leo's right. That ship is just what we need for our journey."**

**"What journey?" Nyssa said. "You just got back!"** **  
**

**Piper ran her fingers over the old crayon drawing. "We've got to confront Porphyrion, the giant king. He said he would destroy the gods at their roots."**

**"Indeed," Chiron said. "Much of Rachel's Great Prophecy is still a mystery to me, but one thing is clear. You three—Jason, Piper, and Leo—are** **among the seven demigods who must take on that quest. You must confront the giants in their homeland, where they are strongest. You must stop them** **before they can wake Gaea fully, before they destroy Mount Olympus."**

**"Um ..." Nyssa shifted. "You don't mean Manhattan, do you?"**

**"No," Leo said. "The original Mount Olympus. We have to sail to Greece."**

"Finished." Hera said.

"I don't mind reading next." Demeter said, taking the book.

" **Leo LIV** ," Demeter began.


	55. Leo LIV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3\. Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" **Leo LIV** ," Demeter read.

Leo unfolded the paper and smoothed it out as best as he could.

**It took a few minutes for that to settle in. Then the other Hephaestus campers started asking questions all at once. Who were the other four demigods?** **How long would it take to build the boat? Why didn't everyone get to go to Greece?**

"That's what we've been saying." Chris grumbled. "Things would be a lot easier if we could all just come..."

**"Heroes!" Chiron struck his hoof on the floor. "All the details are not clear yet, but Leo is correct. He will need your help to build the Argo II. It is** **perhaps the greatest project Cabin Nine has even undertaken, even greater than the bronze dragon."**

"We got this!" Jake said, not bothering to hide his excitement.

"This'll be the greatest war ship the Hephaestus Cabin ever created!" Nyssa said.

"You know it!" Leo agreed, barely able to contain himself in his chair. "I wish I could just show you guys what it looks like now! You'd be so impressed! It's this 200 foot long ship with a half-ton shaft Celestial bronze battering ram, crossbows, and ballistae!" 

"Sounds intimidating." Katie said, humoring him.

"Only for the monsters." Leo reassured her. "But that's not even half of what it can do! Even with Festus as a masthead, he's still pretty awesome! For starters, he could still breathe fire-you have no idea how long that took to make- and he could control navigation, activate the radar, tell me of any problems onboard or threats surrounding the ship..." he stopped to take a deep breath. 

Hephaestus watched on with amusement as Leo rattled on a few more impressive features. The other readers zoned out after the his detailed description of the Engine Room, but the god of fire and his children were paying close attention. They occasionally asked a question or praise, much to Leo's delight.

"-Yeah," he said, patting out a few flames in his hair. "My description doesn't give it much justice. But it's amazing, trust me!"

He gave the others a toothy smile.

"Can't wait to see it." Nyssa smiled.

Demeter took that as a cue to keep reading.

**"It'll take a year at least," Nyssa guessed. "Do we have that much time?"**

Hera shook her head. "That would take too long."

**"You have six months at most," Chiron said.**

"Six months?!" Nyssa exclaimed, she turned to Leo. "We had six months to make all of what you just described?!"

"Yeah, by the time we finished, we were cutting it close to the deadline but we made it." _With only a few mishaps._ Leo tried not to grimace as he remembered the Maenads.

"But how were we able to do it? A project this big can't be done that quick without complications." Jake insisted.

"It wasn't a big deal, I just had to pull a few all-nighters." Leo admitted with a shrug. He went back to folding his paper.

Hephaestus worriedly frowned. _How much is a 'few'?_ _  
_

**"You should sail by summer solstice, when the gods' power is strongest. Besides, we evidently cannot** **trust the wind gods,**

"They're all probably working for Gaea now." Chris said with a frown.

**and the summer winds are the least powerful and easiest to navigate. You dare not sail any later, or you may be too late to stop the** **giants. You must avoid ground travel, using only air and sea, so this vehicle is perfect. Jason being the son of the sky god ..."**

**His voice trailed off, but Leo figured Chiron was thinking about his missing student, Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon. He would've been good on** **this voyage, too.**

Percy frowned.

"Don't worry, you'll get a chance to ride the _Argo II_ when we come and get you." Leo reassured him with a grin.

" _Gee,_ thanks." he said, smiling back as he playfully rolled his eyes.

**Jake Mason turned to Leo. "Well, one thing's for sure. You are now senior counselor. This is the biggest honor the cabin has ever had. Anyone** **object?"**

"I don't." Nyssa said. "I think it's a great idea."

"You deserve it." Jake told Leo. "This is the biggest quest a child of Hephaestus has ever went on and I'm sure you'll do a much better job than me."

"If you say so, man. I can't believe you guys are crazy enough to chose me as senior counselor for the second time around." Leo joked.

**Nobody his cabin mates smiled at him, and Leo could almost feel their cabin's curse breaking, their sense of hopelessness melting away.**

"Making a spankin' hot war machine does that to a guy." Jake joked.

Leo laughed with him.

**"It's official, then," Jake said. "You're the man."**

**For once, Leo was speechless. Ever since his mom died, he'd spent his life on the run. Now he'd found a home and a family. He'd found a job to do.** **And as scary as it was, Leo wasn't tempted to run—not even a little.**

**"Well," he said at last, "if you guys elect me leader, you must be even crazier than I am. So let's build a spankin' hot war machine!"**

"Finished." Demeter said.

Leo blinked. "That quick?" He couldn't believe those words were actually coming out of his mouth. Didn't he want to burn the books a while ago? Sure he would still prefer if they didn't read his thoughts, but somehow it became more tolerable. Weird. 

"That quick." the goddess said simply. "Since it's so short, I'll just read another chapter."

" **Jason LV** ,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anybody else counting down 'til the end? We are literally just two more chapters away from finishing The Lost Hero! Hope you're as excited as I am! :D


	56. Jason LV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3\. Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" **Jason LV** ," the goddess read.

**Jason waited alone in Cabin One.**

**Annabeth and Rachel were due any minute for the head counselors' meeting, and Jason needed time to think.**

**His dreams the night before had been worse than he'd wanted to share—even with Piper. His memory was still foggy, but bits and pieces were** **coming back. The night Lupa had tested him at the Wolf House, to decide if he would be a pup or food. Then the long trip south to ... he couldn't** **remember, but he had flashes of his old life. The day he'd gotten his tattoo.**

Thalia winced.

**...His friends' faces: Dakota, Gwendolyn, Hazel** **,**

Leo smiled at the mention of Hazel.

_I wonder how she's doing?_ he wondered. _Will she be in the same spot I left her? Or will we end up somewhere else? What'll happen to me when I go back to the future?_

The son of Hephaestus thoughtfully frowned.

Nico went paler than usual as Demeter said Hazel's name.

_Don't mention me next. Don't mention me next._ he silently pleaded. The son of Hades nervously looked around the room.

**Bobby. And Reyna.**

Nico silently sighed with relief.

**Definitely there'd been a girl named Reyna.**

Some of the members of Cabin Ten frowned at that.

"What's that supposed to mean?" a girl asked, narrowing her eyes.

**He wasn't sure what she'd meant to him, but the memory made him question what he felt about Piper—and wonder if he was doing something wrong. The problem was, he liked Piper a lot.**

Cabin Ten (except Drew) dramatically gasped.

"That's why he didn't kiss her!" one of the sisters said in an accusatory tone. "He's with someone else!" 

More gasps.

Lacy looked ready to faint. 

"Now. Now." Aphrodite said, trying to defuse the situation. "We don't know the full story yet, let's not get carried away." But inside, she was nervous. _Jason, if you need to make a decision, you better make it quick._

**Jason moved his stuff to the corner alcove where his sister had once slept. He put Thalia's photograph back on the wall so he didn't feel alone.**

"I'll be there soon, Jason." Thalia promised.

**He** **stared up at the frowning statue of Zeus, mighty and proud, but the statue didn't scare him anymore. It just made him feel sad.**

**"I know you can hear me," Jason said to the statue.**

**The statue said nothing...**

**"I wish I could talk with you in person," Jason continued, "but I understand you can't do that. The Roman gods don't like to interact with mortals so** **much, and—well, you're the king. You've got to set an example."**

Zeus suppressed a groan at the sudden pain in his head.

"You're more forgiving than me, Jason." Thalia grumbled, giving her father a sidelong glare.

**More silence. Jason had hoped for something—a bigger than usual rumble of thunder, a bright light, a smile.**

"Ugh! No thanks! I'd rather sleep outside in the rain than have that creepy hippie smile at me!" Thalia protested. 

"It doesn't look like a hippie!" Zeus responded quickly.

"I don't know." Poseidon said in mock thought. "The description sounded pretty much like a hippie to me." 

"We are not going through this again." the god groaned.

**No, never mind. A smile would've been** **creepy.**

Zeus rolled his eyes. He glared at his brothers when they started to chuckle.

**"I remember some things," he said. The more he talked, the less self-conscious he felt. "I remember that it's hard being a son of Jupiter. Everyone is** **always looking at me to be a leader, but I always feel alone. I guess you feel the same way up on Olympus. The other gods challenge your decisions.** **Sometimes you've got to make hard choices, and the others criticize you. And you can't come to my aid like other gods might. You've got to keep me at** **a distance so it doesn't look like you're playing favorites. I guess I just wanted to say ..."**

**Jason took a deep breath. "I understand all that. It's okay. I'm going to try to do my best. I'll try to make you proud. But I could really use some guidance, Dad. If there's anything you can do—help me so I can help my friends. I'm afraid I'll get them killed.**

"You should be more worried about not getting yourself killed." Thalia said. "Are you already forgetting the amount of times you almost died in this book? And the one time you did?!"

**I** **don't know how to protect them."**

"You'll do fine, Jay." Thalia muttered. _As long as you don't repeat the same crap you pulled with Porphyrion..._

"This is coming from the same guy who was literally staring at a supernova." Leo rolled his eyes. "Jay, you're our friend. Not our babysitter. We got each other's backs. That's what being a team is all about."

"Right." the daughter of Zeus grinned.

**The back of his neck tingled. He realized someone was standing behind him. He turned and found a woman in a black hooded robe, with a goatskin** **cloak over her shoulders and a sheathed Roman sword—a gladius—in her hands.**

**"Hera," he said.**

**She pushed back her hood. "To you, I have always been Juno.**

Zeus glanced worriedly at Hera when she suddenly flinched.

**And your father has already sent you guidance, Jason. He sent you Piper and Leo.** **They're not just your responsibility. They are also your friends. Listen to them, and you will do well."**

"Right." Leo agreed.

He rocked his chair. He felt his life flash before his eyes when he leaned too far back.

He scrambled to regain balance.

"I was waiting for that to happen." Katie said with a knowing look. _It was only a matter of time._

Leo sat upright in his chair, heart racing.

"Okay," he breathed. "I won't be doing that for a while."

"Or how about you just quit altogether?" the daughter of Demeter said, making a face.

**"Did Jupiter send you here to tell me that?"**

**"No one sends me anywhere, hero," she said. "I am not a messenger."**

**"But you got me into this. Why did you send me to this camp?"**

**"I think you know," Juno said. "An exchange of leaders was necessary. It was the only way to bridge to gap."**

**"I didn't agree to it."**

"Neither did I." Percy muttered, scowling at Hera.

**"No. But Zeus gave your life to me, and I am helping you fulfill your destiny."**

"Is that supposed to make it better?" Thalia asked, glaring at the goddess.

**..."You're not giving me all my memories," he said.** **"Even though you promised."**

**"Most will return in time," Juno said. "But you must find your own way back. You need these next months with your new friends, your new home. You're** **gaining their trust. By the time you sail in your ship, you will be a leader at this camp. And you will be ready to be a peacemaker between two great** **powers."**

**"What if you're not telling the truth?" he asked. "What if you're doing this to cause another civil war?"**

"I have no reason for wanting a war." Hera said as calmly as she could, despite the bubbling rage inside her at the accusation. 

**Juno's expression was impossible to read—amusement? Disdain? Affection?**

"This is Hera we're talking about, of course it's disdain." Thalia said.

"Why does everyone like to think of me as some sort of monster?" Hera exclaimed in exasperation.

"Well, you did put a baby into a lit fireplace." Hephaestus told with a scowl. "That and you threw another baby off a mountain."

"Not a good track for someone who's the goddess of family." Apollo said thoughtfully.

"Those are two completely different situations." Hera defended.

**..."I am the goddess of family," she said. "My family has been divided for too long."**

**"They divided us so we don't kill each other," Jason said. "That seems like a pretty good reason."**

"That can't last forever though." Percy said. "We have to come together at some point." _I just wish it wasn't for this._

**"The prophecy demands that we change. The giants will rise. Each can only be killed by a god and demigod working together. Those demigods** **must be the seven greatest of the age. As it stands, they are divided between two places. If we remain divided, we cannot win. Gaea is counting on this.** **You must unite the heroes of Olympus and sail together to meet the giants on the ancient battlegrounds of Greece. Only then will the gods be convinced** **to join you. It will be the most dangerous quest, the most important voyage, ever attempted by the children of the gods."**

"No pressure or anything." Will muttered under his breath.

**..."It's not fair," Jason said. "I could ruin everything."**

"Could somebody remind this guy that there are six other people going on this quest?" Leo said. _We're not going to let you fail._

**"You could," Juno agreed.**

"Wow. Thanks." Thalia said. "You, Lupa, and Chiron should throw a party together."

**"But gods need heroes. We always have."**

**"Even you? I thought you hated heroes."**

"Who said she didn't?" Annabeth scoffed.

**The goddess gave him a dry smile. "I have that reputation. But if you want the truth, Jason, I often envy other gods for their mortal children.** Demeter's eyes nearly popped out of her head as she read this.

Hera shifted uncomfortably and refused to meet anyone's eyes.

"Now this is interesting!" Hermes smirked.

" _Oh. My. Stars._ Could it be? _The_ great Hera? The one who's always looking down on us filthy sinners? She's actually jealous of _us_ and _our children?"_ Aphrodite gasped. She dramatically fanned herself. "This can't be real! Someone pinch me! I must be dreaming!"

"I can't believe it either." Apollo said, smiling smugly at the fuming goddess. "Maybe I didn't hear it right. Auntie Dee, can you please repeat that?"

**I often envy other gods for their mortal children.** Demeter read again.

"She always would scream at me for having mortal children. Now I understand the truth. All this time she just wanted her own little demigods..." Apollo wiped away a fake tear. "It's a real tragedy."

"A true Shakespearean play." Hermes said, throwing his arm over his eyes. "I can't believe you've spent all these years suffering in silence."

"I am _not_ jealous of your disgusting womanizing ways!" Hera sneered.

"What's that?" Apollo said, putting his hand around his ear. "Sounds like a lie."

"Yes, what was that Hera said again?" Aphrodite pretended to ponder.

**I often envy other gods for their mortal children.** Demeter read with a giggle.

"That's right!" Aphrodite cackled. The rest of the Olympians laughed with her, especially the ones with the most children.

"That was my Roman counterpart who said it, not me!" she denied.

"You keep telling yourself that." Dionysus said, flipping a page in his magazine.

"You be quiet! All of you!" she snapped. "Let's just get this chapter over with!"

"Before we do that, can we hear it one more time?" Apollo asked sweetly.

Who was Demeter to deny such a polite request?

**I often envy other gods for their mortal children.**

Hera glared daggers at her sister.

"Thank you!" Apollo sighed happily.

"I'll never forget this for as long as I live." Hermes said contently.

"Shut up." Hera said, crossing her arms and looking away.

**You** **demigods can span both worlds. I think this helps your godly parents—even Jupiter, curse him—to understand the mortal world better than I."**

"That makes sense considering how you took care of me." Leo said with a shudder.

**Juno sighed so unhappily that despite his anger, Jason almost felt sorry for her.**

"Save your sympathy for someone who deserves it, Jay." Thalia said. _Don't forget what she did to us._

**"I am the goddess of marriage," she said. "It is not in my nature to be faithless. I have only two godly children—Ares and Hephaestus—both of whom** **are disappointments.**

Ares merely shrugged as he dug dirt out from under his fingernails with a swiss army knife.

Hephaestus glared at her. "You're not much of a prize yourself."

**I have no mortal heroes to do my bidding, which is why I am so often bitter toward demigods—Heracles, Aeneas, all of them.**

"This poor woman!" Apollo exclaimed, wiping away more fake tears.

"How could I have missed the signs?" Hermes said. "I should've known from all those judgmental stares,"

"The long lectures," Aphrodite added.

"The insults," Demeter included.

"The way she treats demigod children," Athena narrowed her eyes, still angry about the statue incident.

"-That she was just jealous of us!" the god finished.

Hera scoffed and rolled her eyes.

**But it** **is also why I favored the first Jason, a pure mortal, who had no godly parent to guide him. And why I am glad Zeus gave you to me. You will be my** **champion, Jason. You will be the greatest of heroes, and bring unity to the demigods, and thus to Olympus."**

**Her words settled over him, as heavy as sandbags. Two days ago, he'd been terrified by the idea of leading demigods into a Great Prophecy,** **sailing off to battle the giants and save the world.**

**He was still terrified, but something had changed. He no longer felt alone. He had friends now, and a home to fight for.**

Thalia and Leo nodded their heads in agreement.

**He even had a patron** **goddess looking out for him, which had to count for something, even if she seemed a little untrustworthy.**

"Just a little?" Annabeth said skeptically. 

"He's still got a lot to learn." Thalia said.

**Jason had to stand up and accept his destiny, just as he had done when he faced Porphyrion with his bare hands. Sure, it seemed impossible. He** **might die. But his friends were counting on him.**

**"And if I fail?" he asked.**

"Let's not think about that." Apollo said dismissively. "Let's go back to hearing how jealous Hera is!"

"Let's not!" the goddess growled.

**"Great victory requires great risk," she admitted. "Fail, and there will be bloodshed like we have never seen. Demigods will destroy one another. The** **giants will overrun Olympus. Gaea will wake, and the earth will shake off everything we have built over five millennia. It will be the end of us all."**

Everyone shuddered at that.

"Way to be a buzzkill." Apollo muttered, trying not to think of the mental image that came with the description.

**"Great. Just great."**

**Someone pounded on the cabin doors.**

**Juno pulled her hood back over her face. Then she handed Jason the sheathed _gladius_. **

"I swear, if that thing's gold..." Thalia muttered to herself.

**"Take this for the weapon you lost. We will speak again.** **Like it or not, Jason, I am your sponsor, and your link to Olympus. We need each other."**

The daughter of Zeus scowled.

**The goddess vanished as the doors creaked open, and Piper walked in.**

**"Annabeth and Rachel are here," she said. "Chiron has summoned the council."**

"Finished." Demeter said.

"I'll read the next chapter!" Connor said, taking the book.

" **Jason LVI** ," Connor read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ONE. MORE. CHAPTER.


	57. Jason LVI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3\. Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

" **Jason LVI** ," Connor read.

**The council was nothing like Jason imagined. For one thing, it was in the Big House rec room, around a Ping-Pong table, and one of the satyrs was** **serving nachos and sodas. Somebody had brought Seymour the leopard head in from the living room and hung him on the wall. Every once in a while, a** **counselor would toss him a Snausage.**

"Wonder what a Roman council looks like." Annabeth said.

Connor shrugged. "Probably not very fun if there's two people in charge."

**Jason looked around the room and tried to remember everyone's name. Thankfully, Leo and Piper were sitting next to him—it was their first meeting** **as senior counselors.**

"We'll show you the ropes." Travis promised Leo. 

Katie narrowed her eyes at him and turned to the son of Hephaestus. "You're better off asking Jake for tips. The last people you'd ever want giving you advice are the Stoll brothers. Especially for something as important as being Senior Counselor."

"Hey!" Travis protested. "We're great counselors!"

"We're the type of leaders who allow a little fun." Connor explained. "There's nothing wrong with that." 

"There is when you're partially responsible for more than half of the pranks on camp!" Katie said.

"It's just a little fun, they never go too far." Travis said.

"It's a summer camp, kids are supposed to have fun and pull a few pranks." Connor added.

"I hope you're used to this by now, they do this at every meeting." Annabeth told Leo with a sigh. _Thank the gods, Katie only shows up during the summers._

**Clarisse, leader of the Ares cabin, had her boots on the table, but nobody seemed to care.**

"It's not like I'd listen if they told me to stop." Clarisse shrugged.

**Clovis from Hypnos cabin was snoring in the corner while Butch from Iris cabin was seeing how many pencils he could fit in Clovis's nostrils. Travis Stoll from Hermes was holding a lighter under a Ping-Pong ball to see if it would burn,** Connor frowned. 

"Where's me?" Connor complained. "I get why I wasn't mentioned the first time. But how come I'm not brought up here?"

"I guess I'm just more noticeable." Travis gloated.

Connor rolled his eyes. "Guess that explains why your stealth sucks."

**and Will Solace from Apollo was absently wrapping and unwrapping an Ace bandage around his wrist. The** **counselor from Hecate cabin, Lou Ellen something-or-other, was playing "got-your-nose" with Miranda Gardiner from Demeter, except that Lou Ellen** **really had magically disconnected Miranda's nose, and Miranda was trying to get it back.**

"Are you and Miranda full siblings?" Leo asked Katie.

The daughter of Demeter frowned, she looked like she been asked that question a million times before.

"No. It's just a coincidence." Katie simply told him. _At least, I hope it's a coincidence._

**Jason had hoped Thalia would show. She'd promised, after all—but she was nowhere to be seen.**

Thalia sighed in disappointment.

**...Rachel Dare, the oracle, sat next to Chiron at the head of the table. She was wearing her Clarion Academy school uniform dress, which seemed a** **bit odd, but she smiled at Jason.**

**Annabeth didn't look so relaxed. She wore armor over her camp clothes, with her knife at her side and her blond hair pulled back in a ponytail. As** **soon as Jason walked in, she fixed him with an expectant look, as if she were trying to extract information out of him by sheer willpower.**

Percy smiled fondly.

**"Let's come to order," Chiron said. "Lou Ellen, please give Miranda her nose back. Travis, if you'd kindly extinguish the flaming Ping-Pong ball, and** **Butch, I think twenty pencils is really too many for any human nostril. Thank you.**

"Only twenty-two?" Connor said in disbelief. _He could do better than that._

**Now, as you can see, Jason, Piper, and Leo have returned successfully...** **more or less. Some of you have heard parts of their story, but I will let them fill you in."**

"For umpteenth time." Leo muttered. He pocketed his crumpled fortune-teller and pulled out a few screws and bolts.

**It only took a few minutes, but it seemed like longer with everyone watching him. The silence was heavy, and for so many ADHD demigods to sit still** **listening for that long, Jason knew the story must have sounded pretty wild. He ended with Hera's visit right before the meeting.**

**"So Hera was here," Annabeth said. "Talking to you."**

**Jason nodded. "Look, I'm not saying I trust her—"**

"That's smart." Annabeth said.

Hera glared at the girl.

**..."—but she isn't making this up about another group of demigods. That's where I came from."**

**"Romans." Clarisse tossed Seymour a Snausage. "You expect us to believe there's another camp with demigods, but they follow the Roman forms** **of the we've never even heard of them."**

"It's not the most outrageous thing that ever happened to us." Percy said. "Maybe it's because I'm used to it now, but it makes sense. I mean, if there are Greek demigods, why can't there be Romans?"

**... [Piper] "The gods have kept the two groups apart, because every time they see each other, they try to kill each other."**

**"I can respect that," Clarisse said. "Still, why haven't we ever run across each other on quests?"**

**"Oh, yes," Chiron said sadly. "You have, many times. It's always a tragedy, and always the gods do their best to wipe clean the memories of those** **involved. The rivalry goes all the way back to the Trojan War, Clarisse.** **The Greeks invaded Troy and burned it to the ground. The Trojan hero Aeneas** **escaped, and eventually made his way to Italy, where he founded the race that would someday become Rome. The Romans grew more and more** **powerful, worshipping the same gods but under different names, and with slightly different personalities."**

Annabeth listened intently to this. 

**"More warlike," Jason said. "More united. More about expansion, conquest, and discipline."**

**"Yuck," Travis put in.**

"That'll still need some getting used too." Connor said. "I can't imagine Dad's Roman side being serious." 

"I guess being serious comes with the rebranding." Nico said with a shrug.

**Several of the others looked equally uncomfortable, though Clarisse shrugged like it sounded okay to her.**

"It's weird that they would give them different personalities, but they can't be that different. They're just disciplined." Clarisse shrugged. "And my dad's already warlike as it is, so it couldn't have changed him that much."

_Maybe not your parent, but have you seen my mother recently?_ Annabeth thought. _The Roman times were definitely not good for her. What did they take that would make her like that?_

**...[Annabeth] "And the Romans hated the Greeks. They took revenge when they conquered the Greek isles, and made** **them part of the Roman Empire."**

"Pretty much." Athena scowled.

**"Not exactly hated them," Jason said.** the goddess of wisdom rolled her eyes at this. _Please._ **"The Romans admired Greek culture, and were a little jealous.**

" _A little jealous?"_ Athena repeated through gritted teeth. Her body was trembling with rage. "You call everything that they've done to Athens, the Greek people, and their gods, ' _a little JEALOUSLY?!"_

"Jason's words not mine!" Connor quickly mentioned, hiding behind the book.

"Yeah, they can't be that different." Annabeth said sarcastically to Clarisse. 

Connor glanced nervously back up at the stern-looking goddess, before he continued reading.

**In return, the Greeks thought the Romans were barbarians,**

"And they were right." the goddess of wisdom spat.

"Mother please..." Annabeth winced. _I hope she doesn't get any worse._

**but they respected their military power.** **So during Roman times, demigods started to divide—either Greek or Roman."**

**"And it's been that way ever since," Annabeth guessed. "But this is crazy. Chiron, where were the Romans during the Titan War? Didn't they want to** **help?"**

**...[Chiron] "They did help, Annabeth. While you and Percy were leading the battle to save Manhattan, who do think conquered** **Mount Othrys, the Titans' base in California?"**

**"Hold on," Travis said. "You said Mount Othrys just crumbled when we beat Kronos."**

"I can't believe we'd believe something like that." Travis said with a frown.

"I know right?" Connor agreed. "It just 'magically disappeared'. Since when have our lives been that easy?"

"We probably believed it because it was something we wanted to believe." Will said. "After all that fighting, nobody wants to travel all the way to California just to see if Krios' army is waiting for us or not."

**"No," Jason said. He remembered flashes of the battle—a giant in starry armor and a helm mounted with ram's horns. He remembered his army of** **demigods scaling Mount Tam, fighting through hordes of snake monsters. "It didn't just fall. We destroyed their palace. I defeated the Titan Krios myself."**

**...[Annabeth] "The Bay Area. We** **demigods were always told to stay away from it because Mount Othrys was there. But that wasn't the only reason, was it? The Roman camp—it's got to** **be somewhere near San Francisco. I bet it was put there to keep watch on the Titans' territory. Where is it?"**

**...[Chiron] "I cannot say. Honestly, even I have never been trusted with that information. My counterpart, Lupa, is not exactly the** **sharing type. Jason's memory, too, has been burned away."**

**"The camp's heavily veiled with magic," Jason said. "And heavily guarded. We could search for years and never find it."**

"Great..." Annabeth said sarcastically. 

"Don't worry, Festus can find it." Leo said, unable to keep the pride out of his voice.

He tapped his foot.

**Rachel Dare laced her fingers. Of all the people in the room, only she didn't seem nervous about the conversation. "But you'll try, won't you? You'll** **build Leo's boat, the Argo before you make for Greece, you'll sail for the Roman camp. You'll need their help to confront the giants."**

**"Bad plan," Clarisse warned. "If those Romans see a warship coming, they'll assume we're attacking."**

"Trust me," Leo smiled. "My video scroll was enough to put the Roman people at ease and show them that we are not a threat."

**"You're probably right," Jason agreed. "But we have to try. I was sent here to learn about Camp Half-Blood, to try to convince you the two camps don't** **have to be enemies. A peace offering."**

**...Annabeth nodded. "Your Great Prophecy—what's the last line?"**

**[Rachel] "And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."**

**"Gaea has opened the Doors of Death," Annabeth said.** **"She's letting out the worst villains of the Underworld to fight us. Medea, Midas—there'll be more, I'm sure.**

"And tougher to beat too..." Annabeth said. "Especially where we're going."

**Maybe the line means that the Roman and Greek demigods will unite, and find the doors, and close them."**

"That would be helpful." Hades said. "It'd save me the headache." _Maybe they can find out what happened to Thanatos._

"Sounds easy, but where is it and how do we close it?" Percy frowned.

"I don't know much about the Doors of Death," Nico admitted. "But maybe I could try poking around the Underworld and find some information for you. I might even find the other side of the door."

The son of Hades felt his heart skip a beat when Percy grinned at him.

"That'd be pretty useful." he told the boy. "But if it gets to dangerous, make sure you head back to Camp."

Nico shyly smiled back. "Sure."

**"Or it could mean they fight each other at the doors of death," Clarisse pointed out. "It doesn't say we'll cooperate."**

The readers winced.

" _Geez,_ really Clarisse?" Travis said.

"Just being realistic." the daughter of Ares said. "We haven't gotten along in centuries, I guess my future self isn't expecting miracles."

**There was silence as the campers let that happy thought sink in.**

**"I'm going," Annabeth said. "Jason, when you get this ship built, let me go with you."**

**"I was hoping you'd offer," Jason said. "You of all people —we'll need you."**

**"Wait." Leo frowned. "I mean that's cool with me and all. But why Annabeth of all people?"**

**Annabeth and Jason studied one another, and Jason knew she had put it together. She saw the dangerous truth.**

**"Hera said my coming here was an exchange of leaders," Jason said. "A way for the two camps to learn of each other's existence."**

**"Yeah?" Leo said. "So?"**

**"An exchange goes two ways," Jason said. "When I got here, my memory was wiped. I didn't know who I was or where I belonged. Fortunately, you** **guys took me in and I found a new home. I know you're not my enemy. The Roman camp—they're not so friendly. You prove your worth quickly, or you** **don't survive. They may not be so nice to him, and if they learn where he comes from, he's going to be in serious trouble."**

Percy gulped.

"I'm sure you'll be fine." Nico assured. "You're a pretty friendly guy, you might make a ton of new friends." _Maybe you might meet Hazel. She'll like you. She's a good judge of character._

"I hope so. I don't want to be Lupa's new chew toy." the son of Poseidon tried to joke.

**"Him?" Leo said. "Who are you talking about?"**

"Percy. Who else would it be?" Chris asked.

"I didn't know at the time." Leo defended.

**"My boyfriend," Annabeth said grimly. "He disappeared around the same time Jason appeared. If Jason came to Camp Half-Blood—"**

**"Exactly," Jason agreed. "Percy Jackson is at the other camp, and he probably doesn't even remember who he is."**

Poseidon lowered his head.

Annabeth winced. 

Percy wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead. "It's okay, we'll see each other again." 

"I know..." the daughter of Athena sighed heavily. "I'm just worried."

_Me too._ Percy thought. But he didn't voice his thoughts.

Nico stared at the pair in anguish. 

"Guys! We're finished!" Connor said with a smile. "We finished the entire book."

"Not bad on such short notice." Hermes grinned.

The readers smiled at each other. It was strangely relieving to finish _The Lost Hero_. It felt like they accomplished something big.

"Finally! I'd thought we'd never be done!" Leo cheered. He jumped out of his chair and eagerly stretched his muscles. "No offense, I liked being with you guys and all, but if we had to read one more chapter, I think I'd die!"

Poseidon and Annabeth seemed to think differently.

"That's it?" the daughter of Athena's frown deepened. "There's no bonus chapter giving us a hint about Percy's time at the Roman camp? Or how's he doing? Anything?" 

Connor flipped a page.

"Nope." he said. "Just the Glossary." Connor frowned at her. "Sorry Annabeth." 

"It's fine." she sighed. "I guess we can wait until the next book..." 

She leaned heavily on her boyfriend. Percy pulled her closer.

Leo bit his lip.

"I mean... I'm positive there's something about Percy in the other book." Leo played with the buttons on his jacket. "It wouldn't _really_ kill me to read one more chapter... So why don't we read the first chapter of the second book and finish the rest tomorrow?"

Annabeth slowly blinked at him. For a moment she looked surprised at the person who suggested it before she smiled. "Thanks Leo."

"I think we should read one more chapter as well." Poseidon said, looking relieved at the suggestion. "All in favor?"

Nearly everyone in the room raised their hands.

Dionysus kept his firmly on his magazine.

"Okay then! Sounds like a plan!" Apollo said cheerfully. He moved to take the _Mark of Athena._

Just as Connor was about to close the book, the pages flickered before there was a sudden flash of light.

_"Holy-!"_ Connor exclaimed. Dropping _The Lost Hero_ , he and the others shielded their eyes from the bright light. 

When the light vanished, Travis hesitantly picked up the book and flipped back to the glossary.

His eyes widened. The Glossary was gone! Instead of the list of terms and gods, there was a short story.

"What the Hades? **Leo Valdez and the Quest for Buford**?" Travis read the new page's title, confusion evident in his voice.

"What?" Leo said flatly. He glared up at the ceiling. "What?! No fair! You can't just _add_ more stories! Nemesis? Nemesis! I know you can hear me!" He shook his fist.

As the boy was shouting angrily at the ceiling, the demigods surrounding Travis leaned forward to see the new pages.

Percy frowned in confusion. 

"Is that a picture of a table?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we are finished with The Lost Hero, but we're not done yet! We can't have a Leo-centric 'Reading the Books' without reading "Leo Valdez and the Quest for Buford" (Personal favorite)! Get ready for the last and final chapter! :D


	58. LVII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I just want to clear up a couple things for everyone!  
> 1\. Due to plot reasons, I will not bring any more characters from the future. Leo will be the only character from the future.  
> 2\. I'm not planning on doing BoO or SoN (due to plot). I'm going to be doing MoA and HoH.  
> 3\. Leo's from the timeline in between HoH and BoO.

Naturally, Percy's question earned him a few confused stares.

"A table?" Poseidon repeated. For a moment, he couldn't help but worry if that bright light rendered his son partially blind.

He felt relieved and, if possible, more confused when Travis held up the book to everyone, showing the picture of the table.

The readers exchanged looks. They turned to Leo for answers, but he was still shaking his fist at the ceiling only now yelling in Spanglish.

"Who's Buford?" Percy asked, getting Leo's attention. "Is he some kind of god of tables?" 

Panting, Leo glared up at the ceiling once more. 

"No, but he likes to think he is..." he grumbled and flopped back on his chair. He had a good feeling he knew what this story was going to be about and he already hated it. "So, who's reading?"

The readers looked at each other again before Travis shrugged. "I guess I will."

He turned the book back to facing him.

 _I don't get it._ Leo thought, rocking his chair back. _Why would Nemesis want them to read this? It doesn't make sense. Me losing the syncopator was awful, yeah, but this doesn't 'stop the war' or save anyone like she promised... So what's the point in us reading it?_ His frown deepened.

**Leo Valdez and the Quest for Buford**

_Is it over yet?_ Leo sighed.

**Leo blamed the Windex.**

"Huh?" Percy blinked.

 _If I hadn't used that stupid Windex, then I wouldn't be reading this._ Leo thought, swinging his legs back and forth.

"What kind of story is this?" Will frowned.

"It's a not big quest or anything. It's pretty dumb." Leo admitted.

**He should've known better. Now his entire project- two months of work- might literally blow up in his face.**

"What?!" Hephaestus exclaimed. 

The other readers started to look nervous.

Leo shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He looked down at his socks before glancing at his destroyed sneakers.

 _I'm going to need a new pair of shoes._ he distantly thought.

"... When you say 'two-months of work' please tell me your talking about an arts 'n crafts project or a something that is _not_ the ship we need to get Percy." Annabeth said, face going pale.

Leo winced. He tried to make her worry less about her boyfriend earlier and now they're going to read something he did that's going to give her a heart attack.

" _Sorry._ " he said apologetically. Annabeth winced and he quickly added. "But I fixed the problem! You don't have to worry about the ship, everything's fine now!"

"What exactly is happening?" Nyssa asked.

Leo inwardly groaned. _They're going to think I'm an amateur._ "Just... Just see for yourself."

Jake, Nyssa, and Hephaestus all worriedly glanced at each other.

 _This doesn't sound good._ Jake grimaced. 

**He stormed around Bunker 9, cursing himself for being so stupid, while his friends tried to calm him down.**

**"It's okay," Jason said. "We're here to help."**

**"Just tell us what happened," Piper urged.**

**Thank goodness they'd answered the distress call so quickly. Leo couldn't turn to anyone else.** Nyssa and Jake frowned. **Having his best friends at his side made him feel better, though he wasn't sure they could stop the disaster.**

 **Jason looked cool and confident as usual—all** **surfer-dude handsome**

"Surfer-dude handsome?" Thalia repeated with a confused frown. _What kind of description is that?_

Leo played with the buttons on his jacket.

 **with his blond hair and sky-blue eyes...** **Piper stood next to him in her jeans and orange camp** **T-shirt...** **Despite the situation, her multicolored eyes sparkled like** **she was trying to suppress a smile.**

"Glad somebody was smiling." Leo muttered.

 **Now that Jason and she were officially** **together, Piper looked like that a lot.**

Leo jumped when some of the girls in Cabin Ten squealed with joy.

" _Oh my gods!"_ they shrieked.

"Finally!" the goddess of love excitedly squealed.

"They're going to be so cute together!" Lacy beamed. "I knew they were going to get together! I just knew it!"

Drew snorted. "Big deal. Now's she gotta deal with this 'Reyna' girl. How do we know that she's not Jason's ex?"

The Aphrodite kids froze at that.

"Then Reyna's just got to deal with it and move on." one of the sisters said. A few nodded firmly in agreement.

 **Leo took a deep breath. "Okay, guys. This is _serious_. Buford's gone. If we don't get him back, this whole place is going to explode."** Travis' face paled.

The news about Jason and Piper were quickly forgotten.

"WHAT?!" the demigods yelled.

Leo just lowered his head.

"What's going on?!" Nyssa shouted.

"Who's Buford?!" Jake yelled.

Leo cracked his fingers. "Buford's the table in the picture."

"Okay that's one question down." Will said patiently. "Now can you please tell us what's happening?"

Leo felt his face heat up. He kicked his legs, feeling like a kid sent to the principal's office.

"You gotta promise you're not going to get mad at me." he finally said.

Nico blanched. "That bad?" 

He just brushed his hair back. "I fixed it in the end but... You're not going to like what you're about to hear..."

The readers looked uneasy but they promised.

"Okay." Leo took a deep breath and let it out. After he found Buford and basically saved the forest from being blown to smithereens (his fault), he swore to himself that he would take this story to the grave. He even made the only two witnesses to his crime promise to never tell anyone. Now he's about to go against everything that's screaming at him not to and tell the others the truth.

 _I'm_ _really starting to hate Nemesis right now._ Leo thought with a scowl.

He brushed imaginary dirt off his jacket.

"Um... there's this part on the ship called the syncopator, it regulates all the liquids that power the _Argo II._ The problem is it's gone now..." 

Already seeing where this is going, Hephaestus' jaw dropped and his children grew pale.

"And if the fluids mix, it'll... _kinda_... blow up..."

"WHAT?!" 

"You promised you wouldn't get mad!" Leo quickly reminded them.

"It's okay, we're not mad." Will hastily assured him. "We're just..." _Absolutely terrified..._ the son of Apollo shuddered. " _Surprised._ That's all." Leo gave him a skeptical look. Will just sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Okay, okay, everything's fine. You already said you fixed it, so we're not mad." 

Will turned to the others. "Right?"

"Right." Percy squeaked, forcing a tight smile. His eyes were wide like a deer caught in headlights.

"It's cool, we know you didn't mean it." Travis said. He looked more nervous than anything. He could barely sit still in his seat.

"I'm certainly not mad!" Dionysus beamed. "Maybe if I'm lucky, the explosion would be strong enough vaporize the whole camp!"

The demigods winced. Their parents glared at the god.

 _If you're not mad now, you're going to be pretty pissed later._ Leo thought, silently looking away.

 **Piper's eyes lost some of that smiley sparkle. "Explode?** **Um...okay. Just calm down and tell us who Buford is."**

**..."Fine," he said. "Come here."**

**...Overhead ran a series of catwalks and pneumatic tubes for delivering supplies,** **plus a high-tech lighting and sound system that Leo was just starting to figure** **out.**

 **A large magical banner hung over the center of the production floor. Leo** **had recently discovered how to change the display, like the Times Square**  
**JumboTron, so now the banner read: _Merry Christmas! All your presents belong to_** _**Leo!** _

Despite the situation, Connor snickered. 

"You should write conspiracy theories on there." he told the son of Hephaestus. "Can you imagine walking down Times Square, and seeing the JumboTron read: _Elvis Lives!"_

Leo snickered.

Now Travis was smirking at that. "We'd definitely be making headlines for sure!"

 **He ushered his friends to the central staging area. Decades ago, Leo's** **metallic friend Festus the bronze dragon had been created here. Now, Leo was**  
**slowly assembling his pride and joy—the _Argo II._**

 **...He climbed the scaffolding and jumped into the** **hull. Jason and Piper followed.**

**"See?" Leo said.**

**Fixed to the keel, the** **engine apparatus looked like a high-tech jungle gym made from pipes, pistons,** **bronze gears, magical disks, steam vents, electric wires, and a million other** **magical and mechanical pieces...** **The central sphere had a digital clock display that** **read "66:21". The maintenance panel was open. Inside, the core was** **empty.**

The readers paled. They might not know the specifics, but they definitely knew what a timer and the empty core meant .

"Did you make a second one?" Jake asked.

Leo grimaced. _Yeah, they're starting to think I'm an amateur now._

"I did." the boy said, fiddling with his zipper. 

"But...?" Nyssa said slowly.

"I sorta lost the replacement with the original.." Leo nervously smiled.

"How'd you do that?!" Jake exclaimed. 

"Can't you just turn it off?" Percy asked.

"No, trust me, if I could've done that, I would've."

"What about taking one out of your tool belt?" Katie pressed.

Leo sadly shook his head. "It's too complicated. I had to make both from scratch."

"Then we'll just have to look for it." Nyssa said. "You only have... what? 66 minutes? Just run and tell us then we'll help you."

Leo just swung his legs back and forth.

**"There's your problem," Leo announced.**

**Jason scratched his head.** **"Uh...what are we looking at?"**

 **Leo thought it was pretty obvious, but Piper** **looked confused too.**

 **"Okay," Leo sighed, "you want the full explanation or** **the short explanation?"**

**"Short," Piper and Jason said in unison.**

**Leo gestured to the empty core. "The syncopator goes here. It's a multi-access gyro-valve to regulate flow. The dozen glass tubes on the outside? Those are filled with powerful, dangerous stuff. That glowing red one is Lemnos fire from my dad's forges. This murky stuff here? That's water from the River Styx.**

Travis felt his eyes glaze over just by reading this. Even Leo didn't seem to be paying attention, as he occasionally glared up at the ceiling and seemed to be searching for something. The only people who seemed to be following along were Hephaestus, Jake, and Nyssa. 

**The stuff in the tubes is going to power the ship, right? Like radioactive rods in a nuclear reactor. But the mix ratio has to be controlled, and the timer is already operational."**

**Leo tapped the digital clock, which now read _65:15_.**

**"That means without the syncopator, this stuff is all going to vent into the** **chamber at the same time, in sixty-five minutes. At that point, we'll get a very** **nasty reaction."**

 **..."Um..." Piper cleared her throat. "Could you make the short** **explanation shorter?"**

 **Leo palm-smacked his forehead. "Fine. One hour. Fluids** **mix. Bunker goes ka-boom. One square mile of forest turns into a smoking** **crater."**

"Oh my gods..." Grover said. He started to chew his sleeve.

 **"Oh," Piper said in a small voice. "Can't you just...turn it** **off?"**

 **"Gee, I didn't think of that!" Leo said. "Let me just hit this switch** **and— _No_ , Piper. I can't turn it off. **

"She was just trying to help." Lacy scolded.

"I know, I was just having a nervous breakdown, that's all. We were kinda on a time limit." Leo said.

 **This is a tricky piece of machinery.** **Everything has to be assembled in a certain order in a certain amount of time.** **Once the combustion chamber is rigged, like this, you can't just leave all those** **tubes sitting there. The engine has to be put into motion. The countdown clock** **started automatically, and I've got to install the syncopator before the fuel** **goes critical. Which would be fine except...well, I lost the syncopator."**

 **Jason** **folded his arms. "You _lost_ it. Don't you have an extra? Can't you pull one out ** **of your tool belt?"**

**Leo shook his head...**

**"The syncopator** **took me a week to make," he said. "And yes, I made a spare. I always do. But** **that's lost too. They were both in Buford's drawers."**

"And where exactly is Buford right now?" Nico said.

 **"Who is Buford?" Piper** **asked. "And why are you storing syncopators in his drawers?"**

The Stolls snickered.

Leo rolled his eyes. " _Real mature,_ guys."

**... [Leo] "Buford is a table."**

**"A table," Jason repeated. "Named** **Buford."**

 **"Yes, a table." Leo wondered if his friends were losing their** **hearing. "A magic walking table. About three feet high, mahogany top, bronze** **base, three movable legs. I saved him from one of the supply closets and got him** **in working order. He's just like the tables my dad has in his workshop. Awesome** **helper; carries all my important machine parts."**

"He sounds like those little broom helpers from Fantasia." Lacy commented.

Leo snorted.

"Don't let him hear you call him that." the son of Hephaestus warned.  

 **"So what happened to him?"** **Piper asked.**

Leo guiltily bit his lip. "I made a mistake..."

 **Leo felt a lump rising in his throat. The guilt was almost too** **much. "** **I—I got careless. I polished him with Windex, and...he ran away."**

The room was silent as the readers slowly processed this new information.

"...Windex?" Clarisse finally said, staring at the son of Hephaestus. "We're about to lose our only source of transportation to Greece and our forest, because you polished your table with WINDEX?!"

Leo winced. "I told you it was stupid!"

 **..."I know, I'm an** **idiot!" Leo moaned. "A brilliant idiot,**

"And handsome." Leo meekly added.

 **but still an idiot. Buford _hates_ being ** **polished with Windex. It has to be Lemon Pledge with extra-moisturizing formula.**

"Not too much, not too little." Leo added.

Katie frowned. "What a picky table."

 **I was distracted. I thought maybe just once he wouldn't notice. Then I turned** **around for a while to install the combustion tubes, and when I looked for** **Buford..."**

 **Leo pointed to the giant open doors of the bunker. "He was gone.** **Little trail of oil and bolts leading outside. He could be anywhere by now, and** **he's got both syncopators!"**

"How could you be so careless!" Nyssa sighed.

"I wasn't thinking straight. I had a lot on my mind with the ship and the deadline." Leo kicked his shoe.

"You have to tell us." Jake said. "There has to be someone on Camp who saw a walking table go by."

"I should've but..." Leo hesitated and hopelessly shrugged.

 **Piper glanced at the digital clock. "So...we have** **exactly one hour to find your runaway table, get back your synco-whatsit, and** **install it in this engine, or the _Argo II_ explodes, destroying Bunker Nine and ** **most of the woods."**

Grover paled. _Juniper..._

"And our chance at getting Percy back." Annabeth muttered, squeezing her necklace.

**"Basically," Leo said.**

**Jason frowned. "We should alert** **the other campers. We might have to evacuate them."**

**"No!" Leo's voice broke.**

"You have to say something, this could hurt people." Hestia said worriedly.

**"Look, the explosion won't destroy the whole camp. Just the woods.**

" _Just the woods?!"_ Grover bleated. Demeter and Katie looked equally horrified. "Leo, half the people in camp are that forest! My girlfriend is part of that forest!"

Leo winced. "Oh, sorry man."

"This is a disaster." the satyr muttered to himself. _The other Council of Cloven Elders are going to have a field day with this... I'm never going to hear the end of it._ Grover groaned.

 **I'm pretty** **sure. Like sixty-five percent sure."**

"65 percent is still a low chance." Annabeth muttered.

 **"Well, that's a relief," Piper** **muttered.**

 **"Besides," Leo said, "we don't have time, and I—I _can't_ tell the ** **others. If they find out how badly I've messed up..."**

Jake raised an eyebrow. "That's why you didn't want to say anything."

Leo kicked his shoe. 

"I mean, you guys just picked me for senior counselor, then I go and mess it up by doing something like this..." he said.

"We wouldn't make you step down as counselor for something like that." Nyssa frowned. "Yeah you messed up, but it was just an accident." she sighed. "I wish we were there, we would've helped."

"Where are we anyway?" Jake asked. "Aren't we supposed to be helping with the ship?"

Leo shrugged. "I dunno. Probably at archery class or something. You guys usually take breaks in between work by doing camp activities or having free time or whatever."

"And you're just working on the ship by yourself?" Nyssa's frown deepened. _No wonder why he was so disorganized._

"We have a deadline, someone has to keep working." Leo responded as if it were obvious.

"I hope that this same someone isn't the type of person who forgets to eat, sleep, and leave Bunker 9 for fresh air." Will said, crossing his arms.

"Haha. _Of course not."_ Leo said with a forced laugh. "'Cause that'd be stupid, right?"

" _Right._ " Will narrowed his eyes.

 **Jason and Piper looked at** **each other. The clock display changed to _59:00_.** **  
**

**"Fine," Jason said. "But** **we'd better hurry."**

 **As they trudged through the woods, the sun started to** **set. The camp's weather was magically controlled, so it wasn't freezing and** **snowing like it was in the rest of Long Island, but still Leo could tell it was** **late December. In the shadows of the huge oak trees, the air was cold and damp...**

 **Leo was tempted to summon fire in** **his hand. He'd gotten better at that since coming to camp,**

"It's hard to find a place to practice. It's not like I can do it in the woods." Leo commented, frowning as he remembered the angry dryads.

 **...Christmas Eve. Leo couldn't believe it was here already. He'd been working so hard in Bunker 9, he'd hardly noticed the weeks passing.** **Usually around the holidays he would be goofing around, pranking his friends, dressing up like Taco Claus**

"What?" Connor snickered.

"It's a thing I did." Leo grinned. "I made it up."

 **(his personal invention), and leaving carne asada** **tacos in people's socks and sleeping bags, or pouring eggnog down his friends'** **shirts, or making up inappropriate lyrics to Christmas carols.**

The Stolls laughed.

"Are you sure he's not a son of Hermes?" Demeter muttered to no one in particular.

"We need to keep this tradition alive." Travis told Leo. "Think of all the poor campers who are missing out on Taco Claus."

"Yeah! It'll be fun! We can do inappropriate Christmas carols from cabin to cabin," Connor said. 

"Put tacos on top of the Demeter Cabin," Travis smirked. Katie glared at him.

"You better not." the daughter of Demeter warned.

"Set the sprinklers in the Strawberry Fields to spray eggnog." Connor snickered.

"Okay, that one's pretty funny," Leo admitted with a small smile. "But I'd be way too busy working on the ship to do all that."

Travis narrowed his eyes at the teen. "I thought you said you were taking breaks."

"I _was_ taking breaks." Leo said too quickly. "But, we've had a lot of setbacks in making the _Argo II,_ so as senior counselor, it's important that I make sure we meet the deadline."

"It's important to take care of yourself too." Connor pointed out. "How are you going to be the leader if you're wiped out?"

" _Wiped out? Pfft!_ I'm a tough Hephaestus kid," Leo bragged. "I can handle it."

The readers looked unimpressed with his answer.

 **This year, he was** **all serious and hardworking. Any teacher he'd ever had would laugh if Leo** **described himself that way.**

 **Thing was, Leo had never cared so much about a** **project before. The _Argo II_ had to be ready by June if they were going to start their big quest on time. And while June seemed a long way away, Leo knew ** **he'd barely have time to make the deadline. Even with the entire Hephaestus** **cabin helping him, constructing a magic flying warship was a huge task. It made** **launching a NASA spaceship look easy. They'd had so many setbacks,**

"I was afraid that would happen." Nyssa sighed.

 **but all Leo** **could think about was getting the ship finished. It would be his** **masterpiece.**

"Yup, he's Hephaestus' son." Aphrodite said. "His father's the same way. Once he has a new project. You'll be lucky to see him in the next century."

Of course that didn't bother her, since that meant she could spend more time with Ares without being... interrupted.

 **...But none of that would happen if the** **combustion chamber exploded. It would be game over. No ship. No Festus. No** **quest. Leo would have no one to blame but himself. He really hated** **Windex.**

"Still do." Leo confirmed.

 **Jason knelt at the banks of a stream. He pointed to some marks in the** **mud. "Do those look like table tracks?"**

 **"Or a raccoon," Leo** **suggested.**

**Jason frowned. "With no toes?"**

"It could be a mutant raccoon or the monsters could've ate its toes off." Travis said.

"They'd eat the toes but not the entire raccoon?" Chris asked, baffled.

"They might not be that hungry."

"Or just be really small." Connor added.

**"Piper?" Leo asked. "What do you think?"**

**She sighed. "Just because I'm Native American doesn't mean I can** **track furniture through the wilderness." She deepened her voice: "'Yes,** **_kemosabe_. A three-legged table passed this way an hour ago.' Heck, I don't ** **know."**

**"Okay, jeez," Leo said.**

**Piper was half Cherokee, half Greek** **goddess. Some days it was hard to tell which side of her family she was more** **sensitive about.**

 **"It's probably a table," Jason decided. "Which means Buford** **went across this stream."**

 **Suddenly the water gurgled. A girl in a shimmering blue dress rose to the surface. She had stringy green hair, blue lips, and pale** **skin, so she looked like a drowning victim. Her eyes were wide with alarm.**

**"Could you be any louder?" she hissed. "They'll hear you!"**

"Who's 'they'?" Annabeth asked with a frown.

"The monsters in the woods?" Nico guessed.

 **Leo** **blinked. He never got used to this—nature spirits just popping up out of trees** **and streams and whatnot.**

**"Are you a naiad?" he asked.**

**"Shh! They'll kill** **us all! They're right over _there_!" She pointed behind her, into the trees on ** **the other side of the stream.**

 **Unfortunately, that was the direction Buford** **seemed to have walked.**

"Of course." Percy sighed. "Hopefully they don't catch you sneaking around."

 **"Okay," [Piper]...** **"We appreciate the warning. What's your name?"**

 **The naiad looked like she** **wanted to bolt, but Piper's voice was hard to resist.**

 **"Brooke," the blue girl** **said reluctantly.**

**"Brooke the brook?" Jason asked.**

The Stolls laughed.

"That's like being called 'Sadie the satyr' or 'Horace the horse!" Travis said.

"Or Don the faun!" Connor added with a snicker. "Can you imagine someone actually being called 'Don the faun'?"

The Stolls laughed harder at the thought.

Once he calmed down, Travis started reading again.

 **..."Okay, Brooke. I'm Piper. We won't let anyone harm you. Just tell us who you're** **afraid of."**

**[Brooke]... "My crazy cousins. You can't stop them. They'll tear you apart. None of us is safe! Now go away. I have to hide!"**

Dionysus groaned. "Please don't tell me it is who I think it is." _Great, I thought I lost them years ago..._

 **...Piper** **stood. "Crazy cousins?" She frowned at Jason. "Any idea what she was talking** **about?"**

**Jason shook his head. "Maybe we should keep our voices down."**

"Sounds like a good idea." Thalia agreed.

 **"We have to follow the trail, right?" [Leo]... "I mean...we're heroes and stuff. We can handle whatever it is.** **Right?"**

"I think it would be better if you try to avoid them if you can." Annabeth said cautiously. "Who knows what that naiad is afraid of? They might be too powerful."

 **Jason drew his sword—a wicked Roman-style gladius with an Imperial** **gold blade.** **"Right. Of course."**

Thalia groaned. "Really? _More_ imperial gold? I thought we learned our lesson after the battle with Enceladus." she huffed. "Watch the plot twist be that Jason's gladius blows up the entire camp."

"Don't even joke about that!" Grover exclaimed.

 **There was no more talking as they** **followed the table tracks deeper into the woods. The birds were silent. No** **monsters growled.** **It was as if all the other living creatures in the woods had** **been smart enough to leave.**

"I wish we were." Leo murmured, rocking his chair.

"Even the monsters left?" Lacy gulped. "What's so bad that would scare them away?"

 **Finally they came to a clearing the size of a mall parking lot. The sky overhead was heavy and gray. The grass was dry yellow, and the ground was scarred with pits and trenches as if someone had done some crazy driving with construction equipment. In the center of the clearing stood a pile of boulders about thirty feet tall.** Travis' shoulders slumped. _Really? Here?_

The demigods froze. A few let out heavy sighs.

"Out of all the places, Buford just _had_ to go here." Percy grimaced.

"This has to be some kind of omen." Jake muttered. Nyssa heard him and glared. 

"It's just a coincidence, there's no such thing as bad luck." she said firmly.

 **"Oh," Piper said. "This isn't** **good."**

**"Why?" Leo asked.**

**"It's bad luck to be here," Jason said. "This is** **the battle site."**

**Leo scowled. "What battle?"**

The readers looked at him as if he grew a second head. Even Dionysus stared at him like he'd gone crazy.

"The Battle of the Labyrinth." Will explained. "We're always talking about this place. How could you not know about what happened here?"

"And don't say it's because of you're new to Camp," Chris said as Leo opened his mouth. "Because Piper and Jason know about the battle site."

"Okay, fine." Leo zipped his jacket up. "I hadn't taken as much breaks as I've been telling you,"

"I knew it." Will grumbled.

"Kinda figured." Travis shrugged. "You had 'I'M LYING' written all over your face."

"It was pretty obvious." Hestia kindly agreed.

"- _Sooo_ ," Leo glared at them. "I hadn't really done any camp stuff. I just worked on the _Argo II."_

"That explains why you didn't know about Thalia's tree earlier either." Percy remembered.

"Did you even sleep?" Hephaestus said, voice full of concern.

It didn't help his worry when Leo actually took time to think about it.

"Sleep is for the weak." he finally concluded. He said it with such confidence, the god of fire knew had used this excuse before.

"Don't look so shocked." Aphrodite told her husband. She rolled her eyes at his horrified expression. "You're like this all the time. He's a smaller version of you."

 **Piper raised her eyebrows.** **"How can you not know about it? The other campers talk about this place all the** **time."**

**"Been a little busy," Leo said.**

**He tried not to feel bitter about** **it, but he'd missed out on a lot of regular camp stuff—the trireme fights, the** **chariot races, flirting with the girls.**

"What? Not even flirting with girls?" Travis made a face.

"Dude, you need to get out more, you can't just stay holed up in your bunker." Connor told him. "You're going to end up living as a hermit."

"So basically Hephaestus." Apollo clarified for Leo. The Stolls and Hermes nodded sadly.

"I'm not that bad." the god argued.

"He's worse than a hermit." the goddess of love corrected.

 **That was the worst part. Leo finally had** **an "in" with the hottest girls at camp, since Piper was the senior counselor for** **Aphrodite cabin,**

The girls from Cabin Ten giggled.

Drew just rolled her eyes.

**and he was too busy for her to fix him up. Sad.**

"Wow." Connor tsked. "Wasted opportunity."

 **"The Battle** **of the Labyrinth." Piper kept her voice down, but she explained to Leo how the** **pile of rocks used to be called Zeus's Fist,**

Said god sat up straighter at the mention of a rock formation named in his honor.

 **back when it looked like something,** **not just a pile of rocks.**

 _And not just Zeus' fist._ Percy grinned.

The other demigods stifled their laughter.

 **There'd been an entrance to a magical labyrinth here, and a big army of monsters had come through it to invade camp. The campers won—obviously, since camp was still here—but it had been a hard battle. Several** **demigods had died.**

Remembering Castor, Dionysus sighed sadly.

"Several demigods died there and now three of the seven of the Great Prophecy show up at the exact same place." Jake said, frowning. "That can't be a coincidence."

"Yes it is." Nyssa said flatly. 

**The clearing was still considered cursed.**

**"Great," Leo** **grumbled. "Buford has to run to the most dangerous part of the woods. He** **couldn't just, like, run to the beach or a burger shop."**

"No kidding..." Percy agreed.

 **"Speaking of which..."** **Jason studied the ground. "How are we going to track him? There's no trail** **here."**

 **..."Does Buford have a round tabletop?" [Piper]...** **"With little steam vents sticking up on one side?"**

 **Leo stared at** **her. "How did you know?"**

 **"Because he's right over there." She** **pointed.**

 **Sure enough, Buford was waddling toward the far end of the clearing, steam puffing from his vents. As they watched, he disappeared into the** **trees.**

"At least Buford didn't run too far." Chris commented.

**"That was easy."**

"Almost too easy." Clarisse grunted.

 **Jason started to follow,** **but Leo held him** **back.**

 **The hairs on the back of Leo's neck stood up. He wasn't sure why. Then he realized he could hear voices from the woods on their left. "Someone's** **coming!"**

The readers stiffened.

"It's 'them'." Annabeth said.

"Quick hide!" Lacy said urgently.

**He pulled his friends behind the boulders.**

**Jason whispered,**

**"Leo—"**

**"Shh!"**

**A dozen barefoot girls skipped into the clearing. They were** **teenagers with tunic-style dresses of loose purple and red silk. Their hair was** **tangled with leaves, and most wore laurel wreaths. Some carried strange staffs** **that looked like torches. The girls laughed and swung each other around,** **tumbling in the grass and spinning like they were dizzy.**

The gods and Grover paled.

"Them _again?"_ the satyr whimpered under his breath.

"What are they doing on Camp?" Aphrodite asked, clenching her armrests.

"Looking for me." Dionysus answered. He stretched his arms. The demigods' heads snapped up in surprise. "They don't know I was called to Olympus. Not that I would tell them. If they get angry and rip apart the campers, that's fine by me."

Some of the demigods shuddered.

"I told you they'd come back." Dionysus said to his father. "They'll always come back as long as I'm camp director. That's why you should relieve me of my punish-"

"Camp Half-Blood handled your fan club before, they can handle it now, Dionysus." Zeus rolled his eyes, unmoved.

His son scowled and turned back to his magazine, muttering under his breath.

"Wait, _Mr. D_ has a _fan club_?" Percy asked in disbelief. 

Dionysus narrowed his eyes at the boy.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean, Peter?"

"Er... nothing..." Percy quickly amended, seeing the warning looks from his father and girlfriend. "It's just... Um... Who are these girls again?"

"They're Maenads, a group of nymphs who follow Dionysus." Surprisingly, Leo explained. He unzipped his jacket. "They're crazy and violent. If they get too excited or feel like someone's trying to ruin their fun, they tear them apart."

"I lost so many party guests that way." the god of wine grumbled in annoyance.

The demigods paled further.

"And they're on Camp just wondering around?!" Lacy squeaked.

"Why does this only happen to us?!" Connor complained.

 **As the nymphs got closer, Leo** **started to notice odd details about them...** **The girls smiled and laughed and sang** **in Ancient Greek as they stumbled around the glade. They appeared to be having a** **great time, but their voices were tinged with a sort of wild ferocity. If** **leopards could sing, Leo thought they would sound like this.**

 **"Are they** **drunk?" Jason whispered.**

Dionysus snorted. "No, they're sober."

"Then why are they acting like that?" Percy frowned.

"They're just a bunch of wannabes." the god responded.

 _If they act like that when they drink eggnog, how do they act when they're actually drunk?_ Leo shuddered.

 **T** **hen things got complicated. In the woods to their right, something** **roared.**

The readers tensed.

"Now what?" Chris grimaced.

 **The trees rustled, and a drakon burst into the clearing, looking sleepy** **and irritated, as if the nymphs' singing had woken it up.**

"What's a drakon doing on Camp?" Nico frowned.

"A better question: How are Jason, Leo, and Piper going to deal with the Maenads _and_ a drakon?" Thalia said worriedly.

"I wouldn't worry about the drakon..." Leo said, suddenly looking queasy. 

 **Leo had seen plenty** **of monsters in the woods. The camp intentionally stocked them as a challenge to** **campers. But this was bigger and scarier than most.** **The drakon was about the** **size of a subway car. It had no wings, but its mouth bristled with daggerlike** **teeth. Flames curled from its nostrils. Silvery scales covered its body like** **polished chain mail. When the drakon saw the nymphs, it roared again and shot** **flames into the sky.**

 **The girls didn't seem to notice. They kept doing** **cartwheels and laughing and playfully pushing each other around.**

 **"We've got** **to help them," Piper whispered. "They'll be killed!"**

 **"Hold on," Leo** **said.**

Percy winced. "I know they're crazy, but shouldn't you help them?"

"They'll be fine." the god of wine said dismissively. "They can take care of themselves."

 **"Leo," Jason chided. "We're heroes. We can't let innocent** **girls—"**

 **"Just chill!" Leo insisted. Something bothered him about these** **girls—a story he only half remembered. As counselor for Hephaestus cabin, Leo** **made it his business to read up on magic items, just in case he needed to build** **them someday.**

"At least someone does their research." Annabeth said, staring meaningfully at Percy.

The son of Poseidon sheepishly smiled back.

"But I don't need to, I have you." he responded.

 _But I can't always be there for you._ Annabeth sadly frowned, thinking about Percy at the Roman camp.

 **He was sure he'd read something about pinecone staffs wrapped with** **snakes. "Watch."**

 **Finally one of the girls noticed the drakon. She squealed in** **delight, as if she'd spotted a cute puppy. She skipped toward the monster and** **the other girls followed, singing and laughing, which seemed to confuse the** **drakon. It probably wasn't used to its prey being so cheerful.**

**..."Are you Dionysus?" she asked hopefully.**

Hermes and Apollo laughed.

The Stoll brothers held back theirs.

Dionysus rolled his eyes and sighed. 

"Does that even look like me?" he said dryly.

"I dunno. Maybe. It sounds grumpy like you." Apollo happily responded.

 **It seemed like a stupid question. True, Leo** **had never met Dionysus, but he was pretty sure the god of wine wasn't a** **fire-breathing drakon.**

 **The monster blasted fire at the girl's feet. She** **simply danced out of the kill zone. The drakon lunged and caught her arm in its** **jaws.**

The demigods winced.

 **Leo winced, sure the nymph's limb would be amputated right before his eyes, but she yanked it free, along with several broken drakon teeth.** Travis' eyes widened.

"Oh my gods..." Katie gasped.

"Did you just say that she yanked that drakon's teeth out?" Chris asked.

The Stoll brother gravely nodded at that. 

Chris, along with a few others, shivered. 

 **Her arm** **was perfectly fine. The drakon made a sound somewhere between a growl and a** **whimper.**

 _And I was worried about them._ Percy told himself distantly. Now he felt worried for the drakon.

"Leave." Thalia whispered. "Just leave while they're distracted and get Buford." _There's no way they could fight them if one Maenad could do that to a drakon._

 **"Naughty!" the girl scolded. She turned to her cheerful friends.** **"Not Dionysus! He must join our party!"**

 **A dozen nymphs squealed in delight** **and surrounded the monster.**

 **Piper caught her breath. "What are they—oh, gods.** **No!"**

 **...The girls threw themselves at the drakon. Their cheerful laughter turned into vicious snarling. They attacked with their pinecone staffs, with fingernails that turned into long white talons, with teeth that elongated into wolfish fangs.** Travis gulped.

The demigods listened in morbid fascination.

Lacy was holding on to her churning stomach.

Dionysus just looked bored.

 **The monster blew fire and stumbled, trying to get away,** **but the teenage girls were too much for him. The nymphs ripped and tore until** **the drakon slowly crumbled into powder, its spirit returning to** **Tartarus.**

"The drakon didn't deserve that kind of death." Percy muttered, feeling a sense of sadness. _That was just overkill._

"See? This is why I don't go to most of your parties, D." Apollo told him. The god of music's nose was scrunched in disgust.

"Most people don't want to come because of them." Dionysus said with a scowl. "They always ruin the mood. Nobody wants to dance after the DJ gets sliced in half."

 **Jason made a gulping sound. Leo had seen his friend in all sorts of dangerous situations, but he'd never seen Jason look quite so pale. Piper was** **shielding her eyes, muttering, "Oh, gods. Oh, gods."**

**..."We have to get out of here," Jason said.**

"Right now." Thalia said.

"But what about Buford?" Will asked. "The forest will blow up if they don't get the... whatever it's called."

"Syncopator." Leo corrected.

"I don't know." she told the son of Apollo. "But this is too much. Maybe they can find another path or something."

 **"But they're between us and Buford!" Leo whispered. "And we've** **only got—" He checked his watch. "Thirty minutes to get the syncopator** **installed!"**

The readers stiffened.

"Great." Thalia said sarcastically.

 **"Maybe I can fly us over to Buford." Jason shut his eyes** **tight.**

"Just try not to get caught." Thalia said worriedly.

 **Leo knew Jason had controlled the wind before—just one of the advantages of being the über-cool son of Zeus—** Travis grinned at that. **but this time, nothing happened.** The grin was gone in an instant.

"What's going on?" Annabeth frowned.

 **Jason shook his head. "I don't know...the air feels agitated. Maybe** **those nymphs are messing things up. Even the wind spirits are too nervous to get** **close."**

"Who can blame them?" Travis muttered before reading again.

 **Leo glanced back the way they'd come. "We'll have to retreat to the** **woods. If we can skirt around the Maenads—"**

"Better than confronting them." the daughter of Athena agreed.

 **"Guys," Piper squeaked in** **alarm.**

The readers tensed

"No..." Thalia grimaced. 

"Please don't tell me they're right behind you." Hephaestus pleaded to Leo.

"Okay, I won't tell you." he simply said, fiddling with a few screws and bolts.

 **Leo looked up. He hadn't noticed the Maenads approaching, climbing the** **rocks with absolute silence even creepier than their laughter.**

The readers shuddered.

 **They peered down** **from the tops of the boulders, smiling prettily, their fingernails and teeth** **back to normal. Vipers coiled through their hair.**

A few people held their breaths.

" _Fates..._ " Hephaestus muttered under his breath.

"Now what?" Connor asked, turning to Annabeth.

Annabeth just stared at the book with wide eyes.

"Run?" Percy suggested.

"I got it." Leo assured them.

 **"Hello!" The girl in the** **blood-red dress beamed at Leo. "Are you Dionysus?"**

 **There was only one answer** **to that.**

" _No..._ " Apollo said. Despite the situation, he was slowly starting to smile. "You're not going to actually do it, are you?"

"It was either that or be turned into confetti." Leo replied.

" **"Yes!" Leo yelped. "Absolutely. I am Dionysus."** _Pffft!_ " Travis burst out laughing, Connor, Apollo, and Hermes soon joining him. The other readers just blinked.

"Ya'know, when we first started reading this, I expected a lot of weird things to happen..." Percy said. "But somehow not this..."

"Who could predict this? You'd have to be an Oracle to have known this was coming." Annabeth replied, dumbfounded.

"All Hail our new Lord Dionysus!" Hermes exclaimed. Smiling mischievously, he stood up and gave Leo an exaggerated bow.

"Stop that!" Leo snapped at Hermes. He eyed the god of wine cautiously. 

The god glared back.

"Excuse me? You said you were _who?!"_ Dionysus demanded. "Leonardo DiCaprio, Are you aware that impersonating a god is a serious offense!"

Deciding that now's not a good time to be correcting him on names, Leo just put his hands up in surrender. "Sorry Mr. D! I had to do it! If I didn't, then they'd totally tear me and my friends to shreds!"

The god huffed. "That's not my problem."

Leo blinked back at him in disbelief.

" _How?_ How is it not your problem?" he couldn't help but ask. "You're literally the camp director. Isn't it your job to keep us safe?"

Dionysus narrowed his eyes, but before he could respond, Percy cut in.

"Think of all the extra paperwork you'd have to do if they died!" he said, thinking quickly.

Leo looked back at him as if he was crazy. 

 _Trust me._ Was all Percy's expression seemed to say.

Dionysus winced at the thought.

"I suppose I'll let it go this time." the god said, still making a face of disgust at the mention of 'paperwork'. "But you better not ruin my reputation."

 _Wait, that actually worked?!_ Leo thought, but out loud he said. "I won't."

The god just grunted.

"I can't wait to see your impression!" Connor said, smiling widely. 

"Yeah!" Travis agreed before adding in a hushed tone. "Making fun of Dionysus is honestly the best."

"Everyone does it at the Hermes Cabin." Connor snickered.

"I don't think you'll be too impressed with mine." Leo told them as Travis started to read.

 **He got to his** **feet and tried to match the girl's smile.**

"First mistake." Dionysus said, rolling his eyes. "I _never_ smile at them. I hate them almost as much as I hate you brats. Don't encourage them to continue following me around."

Leo blinked. He didn't know what he expected from Dionysus, but it definitely wasn't this. Wasn't he supposed to be the party guy? "Oh... uh... okay..." _Is he going to do that for every mistake I make?_

 **T** **he nymph clapped her hands in** **delight. "Wonderful! My lord Dionysus? Really?"**

"She can't be falling for this... She just can't be..." Hermes said, smiling hard. "I mean, when has Dionysus ever taken a form that looks even remotely close to Leo's?"

"Guess she isn't a die-hard fan." Dionysus said. "That or she's just messing with him."

 **...Piper** **nudged Leo in the ribs. "Um, Lord Dionysus, what are you** **doing?"**

 **"Everything's cool."** **Leo looked at his friends like, _Everything's_** **_really, really not cool._ "The Maenads are my attendants. I love these ** **guys."**

Dionysus did a full body cringe. "I really don't."

**The Maenads cheered and twirled around him.**

"Now they'll never leave me alone..." Dionysus groaned.

 **Several produced goblets** **from thin air and began to chug...whatever was inside.**

"Monster? I mean, they can't drink." Percy guessed.

 **The girl in red looked** **uncertainly at Piper and Jason. "Lord Dionysus, are these two sacrifices for the** **party? Should we rip them to pieces?"**

 **"No, no!" Leo said. "Great offer, but,** **um, you know, maybe we should start small. With, like, introductions."**

 **The** **girl narrowed her eyes. "Surely you remember me, my lord. I am Babette."**

"It's hard to forget a person like Barbra." Dionysus said.

 **"And these are Buffy, Muffy, Bambi,** **Candy—" Babette rattled off a bunch more names that all kind of blended** **together. Leo glanced at Piper, wondering if this was some sort of Aphrodite** **joke. These nymphs could've totally fit in with Piper's cabin.**

"My children are nothing like them!" Aphrodite protested.

The Cabin Ten girls glared at Leo.

 **But Piper looked** **like she was trying not to scream. That might've been because two of the Maenads** **were running their hands over Jason's shoulders and giggling.**

Thalia shuddered.

 **Babette stepped** **closer to Leo...**

"Tell her to back up, I don't like them so close to me." Dionysus said, making a face.

 **..."An interesting form** **you've chosen, my lord." Babette inspected Leo's face and hair. "Youthful. Cute,** **I suppose. Yet...somewhat scrawny and short."**

 _"Scrawny and short."_ Leo grumbled. "She was barely taller than me."

"Yup she knows the truth." Hermes said, nodding his head. "Nice try, kid. But you can't fool a die-hard."

"It's only a matter of time before they're done playing with you." Dionysus said.

Hephaestus paled at the thought.

 **"Scrawny and short?" Leo bit back** **a few choice replies. "Well, you know. I was going for _cute_ , mostly."**

 **The** **other Maenads circled Leo, smiling and humming. Under normal circumstances,** **being surrounded by hot girls would've been _totally_ okay with Leo, but not ** **this time. He couldn't forget how the Maenads' teeth and nails had grown just** **before they tore the drakon to shreds.**

 **"So, my lord." Babette ran her fingers** **down Leo's arm. "Where have you been?**

"Avoiding you." Dionysus answered.

**We've searched for so long!"**

"Don't make up an answer, just tell them it's none of their business. I don't like to give them to give them hints on where I am." Dionysus told Leo.

 _How do you still have followers?_ Leo was itching to ask.

 **"Where** **have I—?" Leo thought furiously. He knew Dionysus used to work as the director** **of Camp Half-Blood before Leo's time. Then the god had been recalled to Mount** **Olympus to help deal with the giants. But where did Dionysus hang out these** **days? Leo had no idea.**

"Out playing Pac-Man at an arcade or celebrating some random person's birthday." Percy said.

 **"Oh, you know. I've been doing, um, wine stuff.** Dionysus shook his head. **Yeah. Red wine. White wine. All those other kinds of wine. Love that wine.** The god of wine pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"Yup that's Dionysus!" Hermes chuckled. "Always talking, thinking, and looking at wine!"

"Leonardo da Vinci!" Dionysus yelled.

 _Does he think I'm Italian? Why does he keep giving me Italian last names?_ Leo wondered.

"I think I remember saying, 'don't ruin my reputation'! What is this? Red wine? White wine? Are you aware that there are different kinds of wines, not just colors?" he grumbled under his breath something about 'amateurs', and took out his magazine.

"When you said red wine," the god flipped a couple pages. "Are you referring to the Merlot?" he turned the magazine around and showed the boy a picture of the bottle next to a wine glass. "Or the Syrah?" he tapped the next page impatiently. 

"You can't expect him to know this. He's not even old enough to drink, Dionysus..." Hephaestus sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Who said anything about drinking?" Dionysus asked, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "This is basic information that everyone knows! If I have a person pretending to be me, they better know at least a type of wine."

"This is the most talkative he's been this whole time!" Hermes said, laughing himself to tears.

"This is the most active I've ever seen him, period." Percy said.

 **I've been so** **busy working—"**

"Big mistake." Dionysus rolled his eyes. "If you hadn't given yourself away before, then you have now."

 **"Work!" Muffy the Maenad shrieked, pressing her hands over her** **ears.**

 **"Work!" Buffy wiped her tongue as if trying to scrub away the horrible** **word.**

 **The other Maenads dropped their goblets and ran in circles, yelling,** **"Work! Sacrilege! Kill work!" Some began to grow long claws. Other slammed their** **heads against the boulders, which seemed to hurt the boulders more than their** **heads.**

Will made a face. 

"Why?" he said softly in confusion. 

"Because they're crazy." Nico simply replied

 **"He means partying!" Piper shouted. "Partying! Lord Dionysus has been** **busy partying all over the world."**

 **Slowly, the Maenads began to calm** **down.**

 **..."Yeah!" Leo wiped the sweat off his hands. He shot Piper a grateful** **look. "Ha-ha. Partying. Right. I've been _so_ busy partying."**

 **Babette kept** **smiling, but not in such a friendly way. She fixed her gaze on Piper. "Who is** **this one, my lord? A recruit for the Maenads, perhaps?"**

"No!" Aphrodite exclaimed, looking disgusted. 

"They've been there for way too long." Mitchell said warily. "Maybe it's time for 'Lord Dionysus'-"

"Don't call him that." Dionysus interrupted.

"Er... Leo, to leave." Mitchell corrected.

 **"Oh," Leo said.** **"She's my, uh, party planner."**

Dionysus looked horrified. 

"Party planner?!" he said in disbelief. "What kind of god of parties has his own party planner?!"

 **..."What a shame." Babette's fingernails began to grow. "We can't allow** **mortals to witness our sacred revels."**

Aphrodite and her children tensed.

 **"But I _could_ be a recruit!" Piper ** **said quickly. "Do you guys have a website? Or a list of requirements? Er, do you** **have to be drunk all the time?"**

 **"Drunk!" Babette said. "Don't be silly. We're** **underage Maenads. We haven't graduated to wine yet. What would our parents** **think?"**

"They have _parents_?" Percy said bluntly.

"Like I said, _wannabes._ " the god of wine grunted.

**"Not drunk!" Candy yelled.**

**She turned in a dizzy circle and fell** **down, spilling white frothy liquid from her goblet.**

 **...Babette laughed. "The** **beverage of the season! Behold the power of the thyrsus rod!"**

 **She slammed her** **pinecone staff against the ground and a white geyser bubbled up.** **"Eggnog!"**

"Eggnog? Really?" Chris frowned.

"Isn't Eggnog alcoholic?" Percy asked. 

"Not the ones you buy in stores." Annabeth told him. 

**Maenads rushed forward to fill their goblets.**

**"Merry Christmas!"** **one yelled.**

**"Party!" another said.**

**"Kill everything!" said a** **third.**

"That's the festive spirit!" Hermes chucked.

 **"But enough talk, my** **lord," Babette said. "You've been naughty, keeping yourself hidden! You changed** **your e-mail and phone number. One might think the great Dionysus was trying to** **avoid his Maenads!"**

"Whatever gave you that idea." Dionysus said sarcastically.

 **[Jason]...** **"Can't imagine why the great Dionysus would do that."**

"Not now, Jay." Thalia muttered.

 **Babette sized up Jason.** **"This one is a sacrifice, obviously. We should start the festivities by ripping** **him apart. The party planner girl can prove herself by helping us!"**

Thalia and Aphrodite winced.

 **"Or," Leo** **said, "we could start with some appetizers. Crispy Cheese 'n' Wieners.** **Taquitos.** **Maybe some chips and queso. And...wait, I know! We need a table to put them** **on."**

"Good idea, that should work." Annabeth said, perking up.

 **Babette's smile wavered. The snakes hissed around her pinecone staff. "A** **table?"**

 **..."Yeah, a table!" Leo** **snapped his fingers and pointed toward the end of the clearing. "You know what—I** **think I saw one walking that way. Why don't you guys wait here, and drink some** **eggnog or whatever, and my friends and I will go get the table. We'll be right** **back!"**

 **He started to leave, but two of the Maenads pushed him back. The push** **didn't seem exactly playful.**

The demigods grimaced.

"Com'on, just let them go. They've only got minutes before the explosion." Grover whispered urgently.

 **[Babette]... "Why** **is my lord Dionysus so interested in furniture? Where is your leopard? And your** **wine cup?"** **  
**

**Leo gulped. "Yeah. Wine cup. Silly me." He reached into his tool** **bag.**

"Would the tool belt even have that?" Percy asked. 

"It has breath mints and Legos, so why not a wine glass." Leo told him. The boy swung his legs. "I had to try." 

**He prayed it would produce a wine cup for him, but that wasn't exactly a tool. He grabbed something, pulled it out, and found himself holding a lug wrench.**

Dionysus slapped his forehead. He slowly dragged the hand down his face.

"Just end this..." he groaned.

"Good ol' Dionysus! Always ready to fix a leaky faucet during a party!" Apollo laughed.

"He's so prepared!" Hermes chuckled.

 **"Hey, look at that," he said weakly. "There's some godly magic right** **there, huh? What's a party without...a lug wrench?"**

"Exactly! I know I can never go to a party without one!" Hermes added with a snicker.

 **[Jason]...** **"Hey, um, Dionysus...maybe we should talk. Like, in private.**

"Far away from these pyschos as possible." Thalia added. 

 **You know...about** **party stuff."**

 **"We'll be right back!" Piper announced. "Just wait here, you** **guys. Okay?"**

 **Her voice was almost electric with charmspeak, but the Maenads** **didn't appear moved.**

**"No, you will stay." Babette's eyes bored into Leo's.**

**"You do not act like Dionysus.**

"Ya'think?" Dionysus asked sarcastically. "Whatever gave you that idea? Was it when he said he had a party planner or after he pulled out that lug wrench?"

 **Those who fail to honor the god, those who _dare_** **to work instead of partying—they must be ripped apart. And anyone who dares to** **impersonate the god, he must die even more painfully."**

"Damn dude, you fit all of those things, so you're, like, _super_ dead." Connor said. 

"Gee thanks." Leo deadpanned. "Good thing I don't die easy."

 **"Wine!" Leo yelped.** **"Did I mention how much I love wine?"**

Apollo, Hermes, and the Stolls laughed.

"I didn't believe he was Dionysus before, but after hearing that, I'm starting to second guess myself." Apollo said.

"I know right?" Hermes played along. "It's just like the real deal!" 

 **Babette didn't look convinced. "If you** **are the god of parties, you will know the order of our revelries. Prove it! Lead** **us!"**

"Don't. Just give up." Dionysus said, rubbing his temples. _And people wonder why I hate demigods._

"What's wrong, Dionysus? You should be happy! They say that imitation is the best form of flattery!" Hermes cheerfully told him.

"I hope he impersonates you next." the god of wine said flatly.

 **"Sure!" His voice squeaked.** Dionysus winced.

**"Revelries. So we start with the Hokey Pokey—"**

"The Hockey Pokey is _always_ second." Dionysus stressed. "Nobody wants to do something so silly at the beginning of a party. You have to ease them into it before you start off with something with that."

"Yeah, Leo." Connor snickered. "This is Partying 101."

"Everyone knows that." Travis playfully rolled his eyes

"Is this story almost over yet?" Leo whined.

 **"Right," Leo said. "First is the limbo contest,** **_then_ the Hokey Pokey. Then, um, pin the tail on the donkey—"**

 _"Pin the tail on the-"_ the god of wine slapped his forehead. "Da Vinci! I'm starting to think you've never been to a real party!"

"I went to my cousin's birthday party when I was five, we played pin the tail on the donkey there." Leo pointed out, playing with the zipper on his jacket.

"Now I _know_ you've never been to a real party." Dionysus sniffed, looking disgusted Leo even used that as an example.

  **"Wrong!"** **Babette's eyes turned completely red. The Kool-Aid darkened in her veins, making** **a web of red lines like ivy under her skin. "Last chance, and I'll even give you** **a hint. We begin by singing the Bacchanalian Jingle. You _do_ remember it, don't ****you?"**

"Don't embarrass yourself or _me_." Dionysus hissed. "Just run."

The others looked eager to skip the singing as well. 

"Now hold on a minute!" Hermes said with a smile. "He might know it."

"The forest is going to explode!" Grover stressed.

"We got time." the god easily replied, face bright with mischief.

"But for how long?!"

"Long enough for him to sing the song." Hermes patiently said.

"He said a party should start with the Hokey Pokey, Hermes. He does not know the Bacchanalian Jingle." Dionysus said dryly.

"Let's give him a chance! He might surprise you!" Apollo said. "He might have the voice of an angel!"

"If that angel was choking on marbles, maybe." Leo grumbled.

**Leo's tongue felt like sandpaper.**

**[Piper]..."Of** **course he remembers it." Her eyes said, _Run_.**

 **Jason's knuckles turned white** **on the hilt of his sword.**

"Don't even think about it, Jason Grace." Thalia said firmly.

 **Leo hated singing. He cleared his throat and** **started warbling the first thing that came into his head—something he'd watched** **online while he worked on the _Argo II_.**

**After a few lines, Candy hissed.**

**"That is not the Bacchanalian Jingle! That is the theme song for** **_Psych_!"**

Dionysus groaned loudly.

Travis paused to laugh with his brother and father.

"In between the lines there's a lot of obscurity. I'm not inclined to resign to maturity. If it's alright, then you're all wrong-"

"Shut _up_ Apollo!" Artemis snapped.

Said god pouted.

"You're just jealous of my musical genius..." Apollo grumbled.

"Yes, I'm sure that's it and not the fact that no one wants to hear your obnoxious singing." his twin rolled her eyes.

**"Kill the unbelievers!" Babette screamed.**

"Finally, its over!" Dionysus said. He went back to reading his magazine.

 **Leo knew an exit cue** **when he heard one.**

"You should've done that a long time ago." the god of wine said.

**...From his tool belt, he grabbed a flask of oil and splashed it in an arc in front of him, dousing the Maenads.**

**He didn't want to hurt anyone, but he reminded himself these girls weren't** **human. They were nature spirits bent on ripping him apart. He summoned fire into** **his hands and set the oil ablaze.**

**A wall of flames engulfed the nymphs...**

**....He expected to** **hear screaming from the Maenads. Instead, he heard laughter. He glanced back and** **saw the Maenads dancing through the flames in their bare feet. Their dresses** **were smoldering, but the Maenads didn't seem to care. They leaped through the** **fire like they were playing in a sprinkler.**

"Is there anything that can kill these guys?" Travis asked. 

He shrank back when Dionysus gave him a heated glare.

"Whether I hate them or not, they're still my followers, Tucker." the god said firmly. He turned to Leo. "If any one of the miserable hell spawns ends up dead, you'll be finding yourself in a straight jacket, locked inside a padded room. Capeesh, DiCaprio?"

"None of the Maenads were harmed in making of that fire wall." Leo swore.

"Great, Mr. D is protecting the Maenads, but who's protecting Jason and the others?" Thalia grumbled. "The moment they're caught, they're toast."

 **"Thank you, unbeliever!" Babette** **laughed. "Our frenzy makes us immune to fire, but it does tickle! Trixie, send** **the unbelievers a thank-you gift!"**

 **Trixie skipped over to the pile of** **boulders. She grasped a rock the size of a refrigerator and lifted it over her** **head.**

**..."Veer left!" Leo yelled.**

**They dove into the** **trees as the boulder slammed next to them with a jaw-rattling _thud_ , missing ** **Leo by a few inches.**

Hephaestus stiffened.

"It said it missed me." Leo reminded.

"Only by a few inches." the god said with a grimace.

 **They skidded down a ravine until Leo lost his footing. He plowed into Jason and Piper so they ended up rolling downhill like a demigod snowball. They crashed into Brooke's stream at the bottom, helped each other up, and stumbled deeper into the woods. Behind them, Leo heard the Maenads laughing** **and shouting, urging Leo to come back so they could rip him to shreds.**

"Tempting offer, but I'll pass." Leo said, rocking back in his chair.

"Good choice." Katie said. 

"Who would even fall for that?" Percy asked.

 **...Jason pulled them behind a massive oak tree,** **where they stood gasping for breath. Piper's elbow was scraped up pretty badly.**

 **"How do we** **beat them?" Jason demanded. "They're immune to fire. They're** **superstrong."**

**"We can't kill them," Piper said.**

**"There has to be a way,"** **Leo said.**

 **"No. We _can't_ kill them," Piper said. "Anyone who kills a Maenad ** **is cursed by Dionysus. Haven't you read the old stories? People who kill his** **followers go crazy or get morphed into animals or...well, bad stuff."**

 **"Worse** **than letting the Maenads rip us to shreds?" Jason asked.**

"I'm pretty creative." Dionysus said smiling evilly. "You should've seen what I did to King Lycurgus."

**Piper didn't answer.**

**Her face was so clammy, Leo decided not to ask for details.**

**"That's just** **great," Jason said. "So we have to stop them without killing them. Anyone got a** **really big piece of flypaper?"**

**"We're outnumbered four to one," Piper said.**

**"Plus..." She grabbed Leo's wrist and checked his watch. "We have twenty minutes** **until Bunker Nine explodes."**

Grover looked ready to faint. "All those innocent nymphs and satyrs..."

"20 minutes..." Percy paled. "That's not even enough time to warn the all campers."

"Please tell me you're going to pull some deus ex machina out of your tool belt." the satyr pleaded to Leo.

"Don't have any of those." Leo told him. "But I do have a plan."

Grover had mixed feelings about that.

**"It's impossible," Jason summed up.**

**"** **We're** **dead," Piper agreed.**

"Thanks, that's just what we needed to hear at a time like this..." Connor said sarcastically.

 **But Leo's mind was spinning into overdrive. He did his** **best work when things were impossible.**

 **Stopping the Maenads without killing** **them...Bunker 9... _flypaper_. An idea came together like one of his crazy ** **contraptions, all the gears and pistons clicking into place perfectly.**

"I hope so, I don't want to lose Camp Half-Blood." Percy muttered. That place was like his home away from home.

 **"** **I've** **got it," he said. "Jason, you'll have to find Buford. You know which way he** **went. Circle back and find him, then bring him to the bunker, quick! Once you're f** **ar enough from the Maenads, maybe you can control the winds again. Then you can** **fly."**

"Okay," Annabeth said. "But what about the Maenads?" 

"Leave them to Piper and me." Leo told her.

 **"We're going to lead the** **Maenads out of your way," Leo said,**

"So far so good." Percy said.

**"straight to Bunker Nine."**

" _Aaaannnnndddd_ you lost me..." Percy stated as the others looked at him in surprise.

"Out of all the places, you choose to run to the one that has around twenty minutes until it explodes?" Jake said.

"I have to take them there," Leo said. "The bunker has all kinds of stuff I can use to stop them from rampaging the camp."

**[Piper]... "Excuse me, but isn't Bunker Nine about to _explode_?"**

**"Yes, but if I can get** **the Maenads inside, I have a way to take care of them."**

 **Jason looked** **skeptical. "Even if you can, I'll still have to find Buford and get the** **syncopator back to you in twenty minutes, or you, Piper, and a dozen crazy** **nymphs will blow up."**

 **"Trust me," Leo said. "And it's nineteen minutes** **now."**

"Not helping..." Grover said, biting his fingernails.

**"I love this plan." Piper leaned over and kissed Jason.**

Aphrodite smiled softly at that

Lacy and some of her sisters giggled.

 **"In case I** **explode. Please hurry."**

"And be careful." Thalia added. "Just because the Maenads are the biggest threat right now, doesn't mean there aren't still monsters in this forest."

 **Jason didn't even respond. He bolted into the** **woods.**

 **"Come on," Leo told Piper. "Let's invite the Maenads over to my** **place."**

"I can't believe you're actually going to do this." Chris said.

"It'll work out." Leo stretched. "Besides, Bunker 9 is the best place to have a party."

"As if you'd know." Dionysus muttered.

**Leo had played games in the woods before—mostly capture-the-flag—**

"Kinda hard to turn down, when Harley and Nyssa wouldn't take no for an answer." Leo sighed.

"Of course we wouldn't. Who misses out on Capture-the-Flag?" Nyssa replied, crossing her arms.

"Wait. You mean you would've skipped Capture-the-Flag just to stay cooped up in your bunker?" Travis frowned. "That's it. We're not even going to ask. Next time we're doing something fun, we're dragging you with us."

"But the deadline-"

"If I hear you say 'deadline' one more time, I'm going to scream." Connor warned. "You're at a summer camp. Having fun is mandatory."

"Making the Argo II _is_ fun." Leo said stubbornly. A couple gods rolled their eyes. The demigods groaned with annoyance.

"Typical Hephaestus move." Aphrodite muttered.

"We're talking about _other_ forms of fun." Travis corrected. "Preferably ones that require you to talk to people outside of your cabin."

 **but** **even Camp Half-Blood's full combat version wasn't nearly as dangerous as running** **from Maenads...** **Occasionally Leo would shout, "Party over here!" to let them know where they were. It was tricky, because Leo had to stay far enough** **ahead to avoid getting caught, but close enough so the Maenads wouldn't lose** **their trail.**

 **Occasionally he heard startled cries as the Maenads happened** **across some unfortunate monster or nature spirit. Once a blood-chilling shriek** **pierced the air, followed by a sound like a tree getting destroyed by an army of** **savage chipmunks...**

A few gods and demigods winced.

 _Please let Juniper be safe._ Grover prayed to anyone who'd listen. _Just let her be hiding somewhere... I don't know what I'd do if something happened to her._

 **He figured some poor dryad had just gotten her life source shredded to** **splinters. Leo knew nature spirits got reincarnated, but that death cry was** **still the most awful thing he'd ever heard.**

"She didn't deserve that..." Grover mumbled sadly.

 **"Unbelievers!" Babette shouted** **through the woods. "Come celebrate with us!"**

 **...Leo's instincts told him to just keep running. Forget Bunker 9. Maybe he and** **Piper could make it to the edge of the blast zone.** **And then what...leave Jason** **to die?**

"I was just thinking about it! I'd never actually do it!" Leo said quickly, as a wave of shame washed over him.

"Don't worry about it. We've all had those moments." Will assured him. "I mean, com'on, you are about to die from either getting mauled by a group of raving fangirls or explosion. At least you have some self-preservation."

"I just wish Jason had that." Thalia grumbled.

 **Let the Maenads blow up so Leo could suffer the curse of Dionysus? And** **would the explosion even _kill_ Maenads?**

"Doubt it. Those girls are like cockroaches." Dionysus said.

 **Leo had no idea. What if the Maenads** **survived and kept searching for Dionysus? Eventually they'd stumble across the** **cabins and the other campers.**

The demigods shuddered.

"We'd be _so_ dead." Connor said.

Dionysus smiled as if that were a happy thought.

 **No, that wasn't an option. Leo had to protect his** **friends. He could still save the _Argo II_.**

 **"Over here!" he yelled. "Party at** **my house!"**

**He grabbed Piper's wrist and sprinted for the bunker.**

**...Leo's heart felt like a combustion** **chamber going critical, but they made it to the cliff. He slapped his hand** **against the limestone. Fiery lines burned across the cliff face, slowly forming** **the outline of a massive door.**

"Can't that door open any faster?" Clarisse complained.

"It can't, it has to be slow for dramatic effect." Nico said dryly.

"But there's no time for dramatic effect!" Chris said. "The Maenads are right behind them!"

 **...He made the mistake of glancing back. Only a stone's throw away, the first Maenad appeared of the woods.** **Her eyes were pure red. She grinned with a mouth full of fangs, then slashed her talon fingernails at the nearest tree and sliced it in half.** Travis shivered. 

The readers stiffened.

"Ohgodsohgodsohgods..." Grover chanted under his breath.

"What are we going to do when they come back to Camp?" Connor said nervously.

"We should talk to Chiron about security measures and trainings on what to do in these situations." Will said, mostly to himself.   

**"Come, demigod!" she called. "Join me in the revels!"**

**Leo** **knew it was insane, but her words buzzed in his ears. Part of him wanted to run** **toward her.**

"Don't do it." Hephaestus whispered desperately.

The demigods looked at Leo in confusion.

"Are you crazy?" Katie demanded.

"In that moment, kinda." Leo said, zipping his jacket up and down.

"How was she able to do that? Can they charmspeak too?" Lacy gasped.

"It's not charmspeak, it's the madness of Dionysus." Annabeth corrected. "It makes you do things that are pretty crazy. Like run straight to a group of angry Maenads."

 **..."Stop, Leo." Piper's charmspeak saved him, freezing him in place.** **"It's the madness of Dionysus affecting you. You _don't_ want to die."**

 **He** **took a shaky breath. "Yeah. They're getting stronger. We've got to** **hurry."**

"How many more minutes are left?" Grover was scared to hear the answer.

 **Finally the bunker doors opened. The Maenad snarled. Her friends** **emerged from the woods, and together they charged.**

 **"Turn around!" Piper** **called to them in her most persuasive voice. "We're fifty yards behind you!"**

**It was a ridiculous suggestion, but the charmspeak momentarily worked.**

"Can I just say I love charmspeak?" Hephaestus sighed.

"You're welcome." Aphrodite grinned.

 **The Maenads turned and ran back the way they'd come, then stumbled to a halt,** **looking confused.**

Dionysus rolled his eyes.

**Leo and Piper ducked inside the bunker.**

**...They had thirty seconds, tops, before the Maenads poured in.**

**The** **_Argo II_ 's engine would explode in—he checked his watch—oh, gods, twelve ** **minutes?**

The demigods paled at the amount of time left.

"Where's Jason? How long does it take to chase after Buford?" Thalia said. _What if he's fighting a monster? Will he be able to make it in time?_

**..."What can I do?" Piper asked. "Come on, Leo."**

**His mind began to** **clear. This was _his_ territory. He couldn't let the Maenads win.** **  
**

**From the** **nearest worktable, Leo snatched a bronze control box with a single red button.**

 **He handed it to Piper. "I need two minutes. Climb the catwalks. Distract the** **Maenads like you did outside, okay? When I shout the order, wherever you are,** **push that button. But _not_ before I say."**

"What does it do?" Lacy asked.

"Sets up the trap and a couple other things I need for my plan to work." Leo told her. He grinned. "Wait'll you see what happens. It's pretty genius if I do say so myself."

 **..."Two minutes." Piper nodded** **grimly. "You got it."**

 **She ran to the nearest ladder and began to climb while** **Leo raced off down the aisles, snatching things from tool chests and supply** **cabinets. He grabbed machine parts and wires...H** **e didn't think** **about what he was doing any more than a pianist thinks about where his fingers** **are landing on the keyboard. He just flew through the bunker, bringing all the** **pieces together.**

"What are you doing?" Annabeth asked.

"What else?" Leo shrugged. "Getting ready to throw the best party the Maenads ever seen."

The readers stared at him.

"What?" Percy asked, eyebrows furrowed. 

"Just watch and learn." Leo grinned.

 **He heard the Maenads rushing into the bunker. For a moment, they stopped in amazement, oohing and ahhing at the vast cavern full of shiny** **stuff.**

Jake winced. "Don't let them touch anything. There could be things in there that are fragile."

 **"Where are you?" Babette called. "My fake lord Dionysus! Party with** **us!"**

**...he heard Piper, somewhere in the catwalks above, call out: "How about we square dance? Turn to the left!"**

The Stolls snickered.

"Square Dancing." Dionysus frowned. "You don't start a party with Square Dancing."

"It doesn't matter, they just need a distraction." Aphrodite said.

"I'm just saying that if they wanted to impress them with a party, you don't start off by forcing your party members to dance." he muttered, flipping through his magazine.

 **The** **Maenads shrieked in confusion.**

 **"Grab a partner!" Piper shouted. "Swing her** **around!"**

 **More cries and shrieking and a few _CLANGS_ as some of the Maenads ** **apparently swung each other into heavy metal objects.**

Jake winced.

 **"Stop it!" Babette** **yelled. "Do not grab a partner! Grab that demigod!"**

 **...Leo heard feet banging on the** **rungs of ladders.**

 **"Oh, Leo?" Piper yelled. "Has it been two** **minutes?"**

 **"Just a sec!" Leo found the last thing he needed—a quilt-sized** **stack of shimmering golden fabric. He fed the metallic cloth into the nearest** **pneumatic tube and pulled the lever. Done—assuming the plan worked.**

Hephaestus raised an eyebrow.

 **He ran to** **the middle of the bunker, right in front of the _Argo II_ , and yelled, "Hey! ** **Here I am!"**

Will winced. "Should you be standing so close to something that's about to blow up?"

"It'll be okay," Leo assured.

**He held out his arms and grinned. "Come on! Party with me!"**

**He** **glanced at the counter on the ship's engine. Six and a half minutes left. He** **wished he hadn't looked.**

"So do we." Annabeth said as her and the other demigods grimaced.

 **The Maenads climbed down from the ladders and began** **circling him warily. Leo danced and sang random television theme songs, hoping** **it would make them hesitate.**

"Not sure if the _Full House_ theme song is considered party music, but I made it work." Leo bragged. "It did confuse Cindy."

 **He needed all the Maenads together before he sprung** **the trap.**

"And how long would that take?" Hephaestus nervously asked. _If the explosion doesn't kill him, the Maenads will_.

His breath hitched at the thought.

"Long enough for them to let their guard down." Leo answered. "But not long enough for the ship to explode."

**"Sing along!" he said.**

**...Babette was the last to join the party. When she saw** **Leo alone, unarmed and dancing, she laughed with delight.**

 **"You are wise to** **accept your fate," she said. "The _real_ Dionysus would be pleased."**

"Don't be so sure about that." Dionysus said.

 **"Yeah,** **about that," Leo said. "I think there's a reason he changed his number. You guys** **aren't followers. You're crazy rabid stalkers. You haven't found him because he** **doesn't _want_ you to."**

Hephaestus went rigid. "Don't antagonize them!"

"How am I supposed to keep their attention if I don't." Leo argued. "Relax, I got this." 

 **"Lies!" Babette said. "We are the spirits of the wine** **god! He is proud of us!"**

Dionysus snorted and rolled his eyes. "Spirits who can't drink wine. What kind of followers are those?"

 **"Sure," Leo said. "I've got some crazy relatives** **too. I don't blame Mr. D."**

**"Kill him!" Babette shrieked.**

**"Wait!" Leo held** **up his hands. "You can kill me, but you want this to be a _real_ party, don't ** **you?"**

**As he'd hoped, the Maenads wavered.**

"And how are you going to do that?" Percy asked.

 **..."Oh, yeah!" Leo looked up and shouted to the** **catwalks: "Piper? It's time to crank things up!"**

 **For three incredibly long** **seconds, nothing happened.**

The readers tensed.

"Wait for it." Leo told them.

 **Leo just stood there grinning at a dozen frenzied** **nymphs who wanted to dice him into bite-sized demigod cubes.**

Hephaestus winced.

 **Then the whole** **bunker whirred to life. All around the Maenads, pipes rose from the floor and** **blew purple steam. The pneumatic tube system spit out metal shavings like** **glittered confetti. The magic banner above them shimmered and changed to read** **WELCOME, PSYCHO NYMPHS!**

"I don't think they're going to like the banner very much." Katie said.

"They didn't notice it. They were too busy enjoying my awesome party!" Leo replied with a grin.

Dionysus took in the description.

"It still needs more decorations, but it'll do I suppose." the god yawned.

"Yeah, I could've done more but I didn't have time." Leo agreed.

 **Music blared from the sound system—the Rolling** **Stones, Leo's mom's favorite band.**

Hephaestus smiled at that.

 **Then the winch system swung into place, and a mirrored ball began to** **descend right over Leo's head.** **On the catwalk above, Piper stared down at the** **chaos she'd wrought with the push of a button, and her jaw dropped. Even the** **Maenads looked impressed by Leo's instant party.**

"Naturally." Leo boasted.

**...A few Maenads began to square dance. One did the Hokey Pokey.**

**Only Babette looked** **unaffected. "What trick is this?" she demanded. "You do not party for** **Dionysus!"** **  
**

**"Oh, no?" Leo glanced up. The mirrored ball was almost within** **reach. "You haven't seen my final trick."**

 **The ball opened up. A grappling** **hook dropped down, and Leo jumped for it.**

 **"Get him!" Babette yelled.** **"Maenads, attack!"**

 **Thankfully, she had trouble getting their attention. Piper** **started calling down square dancing instructions again, confusing them with odd** **commands. "Turn left, turn right, bonk your heads! Sit down, stand up, fall down** **dead!"** **  
**

**The pulley lifted Leo into the air as the Maenads swarmed underneath** **him, gathering in a nice compact cluster...**

 **"Now!" he muttered to himself, praying that his timer was** **set accurately.**

 ** _BLAM!_ The nearest pneumatic tube shot a curtain of golden ** **mesh over the Maenads, covering them like a parachute. A perfect shot.** **  
**

**The** **Maenads struggled against the net. They tried pushing it off, cutting the ropes** **with their teeth and fingernails, but as they punched and kicked and struggled,** **the net simply changed shape, hardening into a cubical cage of glittered** **gold.**

Hephaestus smiled in realization.

"My net!" he said. "So that's where it went!"

" _Ugh!_ What's that thing doing there?" Aphrodite shuddered. _I thought I put it someplace no one would ever find it._

"I dunno, I found it in the bunker. Someone else must've brought it there." Leo said. He fiddled with a couple of screws.

 **...The party ended.** **  
**

**Leo dropped from the hook onto the top of his newly made** **cage. He stomped on the roof, just to be sure, but it felt as hard as** **titanium.**

"It'll stay, don't worry about that." Hephaestus told his son.

**"Let us out!" Babette shrieked. "What evil magic is this?"**

"Evil magic is right." Aphrodite muttered, shuddering.

 **She** **slammed against the woven bars, but even her super strength was no match for the** **golden material...**

 **Leo jumped to the ground. "This is _my_ party now, ** **ladies. That cage is made from Hephaestian netting, a little recipe my dad** **cooked up. Maybe you've heard the story.**

"We have, we don't need it repeated." Aphrodite grimaced.

"No, I don't think I've heard it..." Artemis said in mock innocence. "What's he talking about?"

"You were there! _Laughing at me!_ You know exactly what he's talking about!" the goddess of love sneered.

"But the demigods might not." Apollo said. "I think it's important that we educate them."

Aphrodite scowled.

 **He caught his wife Aphrodite cheating on him with Ares, so Hephaestus threw a golden net over them and put them on display.** **They stayed trapped until my dad decided to let them out. That netting right there? That's made from the same stuff. If two gods couldn't escape it, you don't stand a chance."**

"I wish cameras were invented back then..." Hermes sighed. "That would've made the best blackmail."

"Or the best Christmas cards!" Apollo added with a chuckle. Artemis laughed with him.

"Shut up!" Ares snapped over the gods' burst of laughter. "I'll bash your heads together!"

"I wished I kept it." Hephaestus said wistfully. "Nothing ever worked quite as well as that net."

"That's 'cause we were more careful." Aphrodite grumbled. _I never want a repeat of that again._

 **...Piper slid down the ladder and** **joined him. "Leo, you are _amazing_."**

"I know!" Leo smiled.

 **"I know that." He looked at the digital** **display next to the ship's engine. His heart sank. "For about two more minutes.** **Then I stop being amazing."**

The readers went rigid.

Percy gulped.

"Oh gods!" Grover exclaimed.

"Where's Jason?!" Thalia asked, panicked.

 **...Suddenly Leo heard a familiar sound from the bunker entrance: a puff of steam, the creak of gears, and the _clink-clank_ of metal legs running** **across the floor.**

 **"Buford!" Leo called. The automated table chuffed toward** **him, whirring and clacking its drawers.**

The readers heaved sighs of relief.

 **Jason walked in behind him, grinning.** **"Waiting for us?"**

"What do you think?" Thalia grinned, playfully rolling her eyes.

 **Leo hugged the little worktable. "I'm so sorry, Buford. I** **promise I'll never take you for granted again. _Only_ Lemon Pledge with ** **extra-moisturizing formula, my friend. Anytime you want it!"**

"Great. Buford's never going to get polished with Windex again. Now can you focus on stopping the ship from _exploding_!" Grover said desperately.

"On it." Leo replied.

**...Leo opened Buford's front drawer and grabbed the syncopator. He ran to the combustion chamber. Twenty-three seconds. Oh, good. No rush.**

"NO RUSH!" Grover bleated. 

"Kidding! Only kidding!" Leo said quickly. He smiled sheepishly at the glares he was getting.

 **He would only** **get one chance to do this right. Leo carefully fitted the syncopator into place.**

 **He closed the combustion chamber and held his breath. The engine started to hum.** **The glass cylinders glowed with heat. If Leo hadn't been immune to fire, he was** **pretty sure he would have gotten a nasty sunburn.**

**The ship's hull shuddered.**

**The whole bunker seemed to tremble.**

"What's happening?" Katie said tightly.

"Everything's fine. Relax." he assured them.

"You're asking for the impossible here." Nico said, also tense.

 **..."Let us out!" Babette screeched in her golden cage. "If you destroy** **us, Dionysus will make you suffer!"**

"Can't really do anything about it when they're dead." Dionysus shrugged.

 **"He'll probably send us a thank-you** **card," Piper grumbled. "But it won't matter. We'll all be dead."**

 **The** **combustion chamber opened its various chambers with a "click, click, click."**

 **Super** **dangerous liquids and gases flowed into the syncopator. The engine** **shuddered. Then the heat subsided, and the shaking calmed down to a comfortable** **purr.**

Numerous sighs were heard throughout the room.

 _Thank gods!_ Percy thought, brushing his hair back.

Dionysus frowned in disappointment.

"Some party this turned out to be." he grumbled.

**Leo put his hand on the hull, now thrumming with the magical energy.**

**Buford snuggled affectionately against his leg and puffed steam.**

**"That's** **right, Buford." Leo turned proudly to his friends. "That is the sound of an** **engine _not_ exploding."**

 **Leo didn't realize how stressed he'd been until he** **passed out.**

Hephaestus, Nyssa, and Jake stiffened.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." Leo told them. "Just let me sleep it off."

"Passing out is _not_ the same as sleeping!" Will said. He rubbed his forehead and sighed.

"Oh." Leo made a face. "Guess I'm an insomniac then..."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." Will said flatly.

 **When he woke up, he was lying on a cot near the _Argo II_. The ** **entire Hephaestus cabin was there. They'd gotten the engine levels stabilized** **and were all expressing their amazement at Leo's genius.** **  
**

**Once he was back on** **his feet, Jason and Piper pulled him aside and promised they hadn't told anyone** **just how close the ship had come to exploding.**

 **No one would ever know about the** **huge mistake that almost vaporized the woods.**

"Except everyone here in the room." cheerfully added Connor.

"Yeah," Leo said with a sigh. "Except the people I was trying to hide it from..."

 **Still, Leo couldn't stop** **trembling. He'd almost ruined everything.**

"But you didn't." Katie reminded.

 **To calm himself down, he pulled out** **the Lemon Pledge and carefully polished Buford. Then he took the spare** **syncopator and locked it in a supply cabinet that did _not_ have legs. Just in ** **case. Buford could be temperamental.**

"Probably should've been the first thing I did." Leo murmured.

 **An hour later, Chiron and Argus arrived** **from the Big House to take care of the Maenads.**

 **Argus, the head of security,** **was a big blond dude with hundreds of eyes all over his body. He seemed** **embarrassed to find that a dozen dangerous Maenads had infiltrated his territory** **unnoticed. Argus never spoke, but he blushed brightly and all the eyes on his** **body stared at the floor.**

 **Chiron, the camp director, looked more annoyed than** **concerned...**

"They were a real headache last time they showed up." Dionysus said.

**"Oh, them again," Chiron said. "Hello, Babette."**

**"We will** **destroy you!" Babette shrieked. "We will dance with you, feed you yummy** **appetizers, party with you until the wee hours, and rip you to** **pieces!"**

"That sounds a lot scarier when they're chasing you with their claws and pointy teeth." Leo remarked.

 **"Uh-huh." Chiron looked unimpressed.** Travis chuckled.

"Chiron is just done with this whole situation." Leo snickered.

**He turned to Leo and his friends. "Well done, you three. The last time these girls came looking for Dionysus, they caused quite a nuisance. You caught them before they could get out of hand. Dionysus will be pleased they've been captured."**

**"So they _do_** **annoy him?" Leo asked.**

 **"Absolutely," Chiron said. "Mr. D despises his fan** **club almost as much as he despises demigods."**

 **"We are not a fan club!"** **Babette wailed. "We are his followers, his chosen, his special** **ones!"**

"Whatever you say, Brenda." the god of wine rolled his eyes.

**"Uh-huh," Chiron said again.**

**"So..." Piper shifted uneasily.** **"Dionysus wouldn't have minded if we had to destroy them?"**

"Let's not get carried away." Dionysus snorted. "I'd still curse you."

 **"Oh, no, he would** **mind!" Chiron said. "They're still his followers, even if he hates them. If you** **hurt them, Dionysus would be forced to drive you insane or kill you. Probably** **both. So well done." He looked at Argus. "Same plan as last time?"**

 **Argus** **nodded. He gestured to one of the Hephaestus campers, who drove a forklift over** **and loaded up the cage.**

**"What will you do with them?" Jason asked.**

**Chiron** **smiled kindly. "We'll send them to a place where they feel at home. We'll load** **them on a bus to Atlantic City."**

Percy winced. "I don't think it's a good idea to send them to a city filled with people."

"They'll be fine." the god of wine said dismissively. "It's not like they would actually be at night clubs or anything, they'll probably just ruin a Sweet Sixteen."

 _Is that supposed to make me feel better?_ Percy asked, feeling sorry for the poor kid who's about to have their party crashed by the Maenads.

 **"Ouch," Leo said. "Doesn't that place have** **enough problems?"**

 **"Not to worry," Chiron promised. "The Maenads will get the** **partying out of their systems very quickly. They'll wear themselves out and fade** **away until next year. They always seem to show up around the holidays. Quite** **annoying."**

"You're telling me." Dionysus grunted. "Always ruining my holiday parties."

 **The Maenads were carted off. Chiron and Argus headed back to the** **Big House, and Leo's campers helped him lock up Bunker 9 for the** **night.**

 **Usually Leo worked into the wee hours, but he decided he'd done enough** **for one day. It was Christmas Eve, after all. He'd earned a break.**

"Finally!" Travis said. "Took you long enough."

"Let's see how long this lasts." Connor said.

"Figures he decides to have a break only _after_ he passes out." Will grumbled.

"Com'on guys! I'm not _that_ bad!" Leo said.

"Dude, you had to be forced to play Capture-the-Flag... _Capture-the-Flag!"_ Travis shook his head. "If you hadn't decided to take a break, I would've thought you were a lost cause."

"Or a robot." Connor added.

 **Camp** **Half-Blood didn't really celebrate mortal holidays, but everyone was in a good** **mood at the campfire.**

"And you're going to spend your free time with other people." Travis nodded his head approvingly. "Very nice Valdez. Let's try to do this _before_ any near-death experiences next time."

"Yes _Mom._ " Leo said sarcastically.

 **Some kids were drinking eggnog. Leo, Jason, and Piper** **passed on that and went for hot chocolate instead.**

 **They listened to** **sing-along songs and watched sparks from the fire curl up toward the** **stars.**

 **"You saved my hide again, guys," Leo told his friends. "Thank** **you."**

 **Jason smiled. "Anything for you, Valdez. You sure the _Argo II_ will be ** **safe now?"**

**"Safe? No.**

"There still some things that could go wrong, but it's nothing I can't fix!" Leo hurriedly added after seeing the wary expressions.

"And we'll help." Nyssa said firmly. Jake nodded in agreement.

 **But she's not in danger of exploding.** **Probably."**

"That's reassuring." Thalia grumbled.

**Piper laughed. "Great. I feel much better."**

**They sat quietly,** **enjoying each other's company, but Leo knew this was just a brief moment of** **peace. The _Argo II_ had to be finished by the summer solstice. Then they would ** **sail off on their great adventure—first to find Jason's old home, the Roman** **camp. After that...the giants were waiting. Gaea the earth mother, the most** **powerful enemy of the gods, was marshaling her forces to destroy Olympus. To** **stop her, Leo and his friends would have to sail to Greece, the ancient homeland** **of the gods. At any point along the way, Leo knew he might die.**

 **For now,** **though, he decided to enjoy himself. When your life is on a timer to an** **inevitable explosion, that's about all you can do.**

"Wh-What?" Leo stiffened. _An inevitable explosion..._

He shivered. _How did she...?_

"It's just a metaphor, Leo." Annabeth said, laughing at his expression.

The son of Hephaestus forced himself to relax.

"Uh... Yeah... Heh heh..." he made himself to laugh with her and a few others. _It's impossible. There's no way Nemesis knows what I'm planning on doing, right? But why is it worded like that?_

He softly shook his head. _Don't be paranoid._ he thought firmly. _This story is about the ship exploding, of course it would have some stupid metaphor like that. Stop overthinking things._

Despite his best efforts, he couldn't shake away thoughts on his plan.

Hephaestus made a face at the metaphor. 

"I don't think it's very funny." he grumbled, glaring at the book.

 **He raised his goblet of** **hot chocolate. "To friends."**

**"Friends," Piper and Jason agreed.**

"To corniness." Dionysus said, raising his can of Diet Coke before he took a sip.

 **Leo stayed at the campfire until the song leader from Apollo cabin suggested they all do the Hokey Pokey. Then Leo decided to call it a night.** Travis snickered.

"Done!" he said.

Leo didn't cheer like he did last time. Instead, he stared off at nothing.

 _I gotta go to the attic._ he finally decided. _I need that potion._

He was forced out of his thoughts when Connor nudged him.

"You okay?" he asked with a frown. "You look pale."

"Fine." he said. He gave him a weak smile. "I guess I'm getting tired."

"It is pretty late." Apollo agreed, he got up and stretched. "How about we read the second book tomorrow?"

Poseidon and Annabeth frowned.

"But what about Percy?" her shoulders slumped.

"It's okay, Annabeth. Waiting until tomorrow wouldn't hurt us." Percy said, squeezing her hand.

"I know but..." she took in the tired expressions on the others' faces. " _Okay._ I guess we can wait."

"Great!" Hermes said cheerfully. "See you in the morning!"

Before any of them could ask how they were getting home, Hera waved her hand and the world suddenly turned upside down.

When the demigods could see again, they were suddenly by the campfire, seeing injured campers still celebrating their victory.

Seemly unfazed by their sudden appearance, Chiron (now in his wheelchair thanks to his broken ankles) moved over to greet them.

"Percy!" Chiron began with a warm smile. "I trust your meeting with the Olympians went-"

The centaur paused and his eyes widened in surprise as an elf like boy, someone he never met before, ran past him and went straight into the woods. A few people winced as they heard the teen empty his stomach and the loud shriek of a nymph.

"He really can't handle his teleportation." Percy said, wincing again when the shrieking was replaced by yelling and curses.

"I'll go check on him." Will said, making a face. 

"I'll go with you." Katie said, not exactly looking thrilled but someone had to save Leo from that angry nymph.

Together, they followed the noise.

Chiron watched the two leave before turning to Percy. He raised an eyebrow.

"What exactly happened on Olympus?" the centaur was almost afraid to ask.

The demigods and hunters exchanged glances.

"It's a long story..." Percy began.

Feeling a headache begin, Chiron sighed. "We have time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for reading this silly story! I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it! Just to let everyone know, the Reading MoA fic will be a second story called 'Bookmark'. Can't wait to post the first chapter! :)


	59. Announcement

Just letting everyone know Bookmark has been published today! Enjoy! :)


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